In the Present
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: RLxLL: When everything could go wrong, it does. Remus' life is thrown around by reality, work, and love -but someone might help him find his way again. Is that what he finds in Luna? R&R, please! 8 thru 20 is up and ready for REVIEWS! Some mature stuff!
1. 1st Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The First Wax**

"I'm pregnant."

Remus choked on his cold cereal, and coughed to clear his throat. There wasn't anything he could do about clearing his ears, though. "I'm sorry?"

Tonks sat down beside him at the table. Her hair turned a mauve kind of color, as it was wont to do, her being a Metamorphagus. "You heard me, Remus. I'm pregnant."

"But…that can't be possible!" he spluttered. "We've always worked the Charms so something like this wouldn't happen! I mean, last week-" And he stopped. "Oh." His eyes searched for hers, but Tonks looked away. "Oh…" His heart twanged as he realized she had lied to him. She had actually _lied_ to him.

His memory kicked into overdrive. Last week –almost two weeks ago from now –he came home and there she was, gazing up at him with the sultriest of smiles. She came up to him and kissed him hard on the lips, pushing him back against the door. He had been hungry, but he forgot his hunger as she led him to their bedroom. He closed the door as she kept kissing him and unbuttoning his shirt. She looked up at him and told him, "We're set" –meaning she has cast the Contraceptive Charms –and then they let loose. He had been so swept up in the hormones that he had disregarded the slight catch in her voice. But that catch he was all too painfully aware of now.

"Oh," he repeated. He felt stupid. He thought being married meant you trusted each other. But this stated otherwise.

Tonks placed her hand on his. "Remus, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but…but I want a _real_ family." While there was a trace of guilt in her clear eyes, he saw determination as the dominant feeling.

"Oh," he repeated again. "Yes. Right, of course."

"It's only natural," she continued.

"Right, only natural." Remus opened and closed his mouth several times before pushing back against his chair. "Um… I'm going out for a walk. I'll be back."

Tonks watched him as he stood. "Of course. I'll stay here."

He couldn't look at her again as he exited the kitchen. He only grabbed a sweater as an afterthought of the chilling weather, but he decided against the umbrella. The heavy downpour of the early morning pelted him, but it was exactly what he needed. It helped clear his mind of what he had just been told, what he had just learned. Besides, the cool rain refreshed his face as hot tears ran down his cheeks. Life had always been thrown at him. Why couldn't he have a break?

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Tonks didn't speak that much for the rest of the day. Remus didn't really mind, though uncomfortable silences weren't his thing, because he was so used to being in awkward or unpleasant situations.

That night Remus sat in the living room and flicked through the telly. Nothing caught his attention, so he resorted to the news for white noise. Anything to distract him from the static of jumbled thoughts in his head: Would she lie again? Would she be healthy? Would the child be a werewolf? Would the child be deformed? Would the child even make it? How would the full moons affect the fetus? Was he even cut out to be a father? Did Dora get pregnant as a last resort because-?

"I'm going to bed," she said, leaning against the door jamb. "Can I get you anything? You barely picked at your supper."

"I'm fine, Dora," he replied, looking at his hands. He could hear her lips move to form a frown.

"Okay, then." She padded barefoot across the carpet and kissed her husband's cheek. "Good night, dear."

Remus nodded and watched the pictures on the newscast as Tonks left the room and disappeared down the hall. Merlin, look at him. He shook his head. Things had gotten out of control.

------------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Amazingly enough, he slept okay. When he woke up the following morning, he rubbed the sand from his eyes and yawned. He couldn't recall any dreams, let alone if he had had any…

He stood and freshened up in the bathroom. It was funny how such a habitual action had new meaning. He could hear a child's voice, screaming, "Da!" and running into the bathroom to interrupt Remus.

The werewolf shook his head. He…didn't want any of this. It only seemed like yesterday that he had been in detention with James, Sirius, and Peter for pulling a nasty prank on Snape. Remus recalled having a few girlfriends, but he had never imagined himself as a father. Probably because his own childhood had been plenty messed up.

Remus frowned. He needed to get out for a while. He finished in the bathroom and grabbed a clean shirt from their bedroom, careful not to disturb his wife. Once ready, he went out into the vestibule, grabbed a jacket, and marched outside.

The walk was a good twenty or thirty minutes, but Remus didn't care. When he saw the row of townhouses, he felt almost relaxed. He quickly crossed the street and stood in front of the wrought iron gate. He stomped three, strong times with the heel of his shoe and watched the magic happen around numbers Eleven and Thirteen.

The ground and row of townhouses shook, but none of the non-magical muggles noticed or felt anything. In between Eleven and Thirteen popped an extra townhouse. Eleven and Thirteen stretched out for the extra, which pushed out several windows, a door, and a walkway of its own. Even Eleven's and Thirteen's gate stretched to include this new addition. Remus had a hard time suppressing his smile as the number appeared above the door. Here it was:

Twelve Grimmauld Place.

Remus swung the gate open and went up the stairs. At the door, he rapped it seven times and stuck his hands in his pockets. The door opened and revealed a smiling Sirius Black.

"Well, if it isn't Remus Lupin!" Sirius laughed. He let Remus in and followed his best friend into the dining room. "We were just thinking about calling you."

Remus glanced back at Sirius. "'We'?"

"Yes, 'we' need to include you in this discussion," came a deep voice. Remus turned around and saw Albus Dumbledore rise from the table to shake hands.

"This is quite the surprise," the werewolf stated as the three men sat down. "What brings you here, headmaster?"

Dumbledore smiled. "I've come with an offer for you both. Most of our positions are filled, but one department lacks a teacher: Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Remus looked unsure. "Eh… Let me get this straight: You're asking me to come back and teach?"

"Yes. And no. I was hoping that the job could be split between you and Sirius. Maybe one for the first years through third, and the rest to the other."

The werewolf blinked. "Oh. I see."

"There's also not a lot of time to think about it, Mooney," Sirius interjected. "School starts barely more than a week from now."

Remus nodded and faced the elderly wizard. "I'll do it."

"As will I," Sirius added. "But you already knew that, Albus."

Dumbledore stood and smiled. "Maybe." He walked to the front door and prepared to disembark. "One more thing: Severus is still teaching Potions at Hogwarts." The headmaster raised his eyebrows. "I would hope that two Marauders would not restart the 'Snivelers' fiascos."

Sirius whistled while Remus shot Padfoot a look. "Of course not, headmaster."

"After all, you can't give us detention anymore," Sirius quipped. "Or rather, you _can't_ give us detention anymore. Hmm." A wolfish grin appeared on his face.

Dumbledore stared at Sirius with a raised eyebrow. "Well, I shall see you two at the beginning of the term, Remus, Sirius." With that, the headmaster stepped outside and Apparated on the step.

"You really had good timing," Sirius told Remus as they walked into the kitchen. He poured two firewhiskies. "What originally brought you over here?"

Remus blinked, grimaced, and then took a long swig of his drink. The firewhiskey burned on the way down. "Nothing much," he fibbed. "Just felt like visiting."

"How's Tonks?"

Sirius's gray eyes were on him, and he felt suddenly, uncomfortably warm. "She's…" _…pregnant!_ he wanted to admit. Instead, he finished with, "…fine." First, Tonks, now a job–

Life just kept coming at him.

------------------------------------------------------------ ^-^3

**SOOO sad!!! Poor Remmy! Life sucks! How could Tonks do that to him?! *sigh* What else is going to be thrown at him? A car? A hippogriff? A certain female **_**Quibbler**_** reporter who might just be having a tough time on her own?! AGH!! Must…continue…writing…while on…a Remus/Luna…kick! Anywho, try to get this story about five to ten reviews per chapter, guys –Rena needs it!**

**& as always, READ & REVIEW!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**


	2. 2nd Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Second Wax**

About a week later, Remus found himself struggling to get by amidst the throng of jostling bodies on Diagon Alley.

_Bloody crowd!_ he thought as he was shoved to the side. _Merlin!_ _The next time I need supplies, I'm sending away for them!_

He walked to a nearby café and sat down in one of the metal chairs outside. The clouds drifted by on the sea of muted blue sky, forecasting more rain. Remus sighed. One reliable thing in England was the rainy weather.

_She didn't seem surprised that I took the job, _the wizard supposed as he watched the passersby. _She didn't even seem very surprised that Albus offered the job. I wonder what Nymphadora's thinking…_ Remus shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"Excuse me, sir. May I help you?"

The werewolf looked up and locked eyes with the waiter. "Oh, sorry. I'm not…"

The waiter frowned. "I'm sorry, sir, but if you're not going to order, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave. The table must be vacant for paying customers."

Remus stood. "Of course." He nodded in embarrassment as he walked away. "Sorry about that." The crowd had thinned slightly by then, so Remus continued on his journey. _I hate that I have to get the chests from Borgin and Burke's, though,_ he grumbled to himself. _Gee, a _known_ werewolf shopping at a store notorious for its Dark Magic items- _-he grimly smiled- _-that's _wonderful_ for my image. _Again, he sighed.

"Remus? Remus Lupin?"

And again he looked up. This time, however, he glanced behind him, and he saw two young faces. Remus stepped off to the side and waited in front of what used to be Ollivander's wand shop.

Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood met him with bright smiles. "I can't believe it!" Neville exclaimed. "I heard that you and Sirius were hired –good for you!"

"Yes, well, I didn't like being unemployed. But I needed the past school year off." He gave them a tight smile. "The Auror's Office… I'm not sure it's quite my thing."

The Herbology professor nodded. "Hey, do you want to join us?" Neville asked. "I still have a lot of seeds and other things to buy, but if you have the time…"

"Sure, Neville. However, I've got to make my own stop first. Do you mind?" But the young teacher didn't hear him, as he scampered off to take part in a sale on roots. "I guess you don't…"

"Shall we?" Luna asked. She turned her ethereal blue eyes and unnerving smile on him.

Remus nodded and led the way to Borgin and Burke's. They entered the shop, and he headed towards the back. There, next to the iron maiden and hands of glory, was a stack of chest, each box made of deep oak and wrought with burnished black steel. Remus knelt down and checked them, feeling the sturdiness of the numerous locks and looking for any faults.

"Planning to capture more boggarts, Professor Lupin?" Luna asked beside him. She peered over his shoulder.

"Not really," Remus replied. "Dumbledore told me that the previous D.A.D.A. teacher trashed some items. Unfortunately, the chests containing some of the test creatures were demolished in the process. But we need these." He stood and looked around. "Did you see Borgin, by any chance?"

"No, professor."

He stood and gave her a look not unlike one given when someone has an unfavorable taste in their mouth. "I'll go find him, I suppose. Er…Luna? You don't have to call me 'Professor Lupin'. Actually, I'd prefer it if you'd call me 'Remus'. You're not a student anymore, you know."

She nodded. "Of course."

"Er…good." Remus wandered around the front of the store and found Borgin suddenly behind the front desk. "Borgin."

The shopkeeper looked up. "Well, well…," Borgin said with a jagged, toothy grin.

"I'm here on Hogwarts business, Borgin," Remus stated, "so don't get any funny ideas into your head. I need three of your Better Beasts chests in the back. How much?"

"Tch… Hogwarts business…," Borgin muttered under his breath. He grabbed a parchment from under the counter and skimmed it. "Sixty galleons per chest."

"Jesus!" Remus sharply shook his head. "No school discount?"

Borgin stared at him over the counter. "Sixty galleons per chest," he spat.

"All right, all right…" The werewolf took out the envelope Dumbledore had given him for pre-term expenses. He paid Borgin the money, wishing he were elsewhere as the creepy grin returned to Borgin's face. "One more thing," Remus added. "I need you to send them to Hogwarts right away. They'll be expecting them. Good day, Borgin," he finished, and he headed to the back.

"Curious contraptions they have in here," Luna commented when Remus came back.

"If you're ready to go, I'm all set," he said. He paused. "What _are_ you looking at?"

Luna tilted her head to one side. "It's a device for the removal of earwigs. Looks intricate," she said, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look.

Remus squinted at it. "Looks painful to me." His eyes darted to the front, where Borgin kept an eye on them. "Erm, Luna, I don't think we're that welcome anymore…"

The girl looked at him and followed his line of sight. "You know, people who watch others constantly tend to possess paranoia."

"A, that's nice, Luna, but let's go, shall we?" Remus said in a rush, for he wasn't sure if Borgin had overheard her. The were ushered the witch out of the store, and they nearly crashed into Neville.

"There you are!" Neville exclaimed. "I didn't realize how long I'd been, and then when I turned around, you guys weren't there!"

"It's all right, Neville," Remus remarked. "I took care of my business already."

Neville pinked. "Oh, sorry… I guess I wasn't really listening earlier… But you should still shop with us! It's been a while since we last saw you," the young teacher pointed out.

The were nodded. "Life's been keeping me rather busy-"

"Hold that thought! I see baby mandrakes on sale!!" And off Neville scampered again. However, this time Luna and Remus did not stray far from him.

"Anyone can make a claim for something keeping them busy," Luna stated as she and Remus watched Neville fight some old hag for a mandrake with circular leaves.

Remus grimaced. _I don't exactly want to talk about my personal life right now, _he thought. "Lu-"

"For example, some people have work to keep them busy. Others waste the day doing nothing, claiming that that's a purpose for life," she prattled on. She looked at him with what he supposed was a smile. He wasn't sure; she _was_ strange. "I keep busy by being curious."

"Curious about anything?"

"Mostly. See, I think about the creatures magical folk refuse to believe in. I also ponder the consequences of the other choice a person had in a situation. It's also fun to just watch people and observe." She pointed to Neville. "Take Neville, for instance. He is very amusing in that he frets about things like he were a small, woodland animal. Even more interesting are the times when he doesn't fret at all, like now, when the only goal in his mind is to buy the certain cuspkid."

Remus glanced at her. "You mean a mandrake."

"No, I believe that is a cuspkid," Luna affirmed with her oddly calm expression. "Mandrakes don't have circular leaves. Cuspkids do, but they try to pass themselves off as mandrakes." She leaned in so only Remus heard her. "I believe it's a conspiracy, possibly tied to the Rottfang one."

He chuckled. "A conspiracy? And it's tied to the Rottfang conspiracy?"

She leaned outward. "You never know." The blonde stared at him for a moment. "You _are_ like a wolf."

"Oh?" he prodded, but his muscles automatically tensed. The attention was back on him.

"You're struggle for survival is evident in your carefully chosen words and hand-selected actions." She leaned in once more. "You are too careful, scared that the next moment will be your last." Luna leaned back out. "Which is good. It means you live for the here-and-now," she finished with a smile.

At first, Remus had wanted to cut her off –though not too rudely –before she could analyze his personal life; after all, analyzing is what she did best. But somehow, she had completely turned her words around, and he felt dumbfounded that she could take a look at what she barely knew of him and give him a summary that was so positive, it had to be outside of the box. He laughed this time. Luna truly was a strange one.

Neville came back and they moved on, and each time Neville disappeared, Luna would amuse Remus with an observation of someone off the street. His laughter almost hurt; it had been a long time since he had last been in this good a mood. He also stopped her every now-and-then to ask how she jumped to certain conclusions, and he wondered if he could learn to read people as well as she could. But that would have to wait another time, as night was falling.

"It's this late already?" Neville whined, looking at his watch. "I'm not even done packing!" He looked at Remus and gave him a small smile. "Well, I suppose I'll see you soon, Remus," he said, and he shook the werewolf's hand.

"I'll see you at Hogwarts, Neville," he replied. He shook Luna's hand, as well. "See you around, Luna."

Again, she slightly cocked her head to one side, and her protuberant blue eyes met his brown ones. He wasn't sure if a smile played at her lips at first, and then she gave him a whimsical grin. "Farewell, Remus," she said in that faraway tone of hers.

"Uh, yeah…" And they parted ways. Yet, when he went home that night, Remus felt different. And different felt good.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Hmm. I wonder just how good that difference felt… Well, we could always read and review more of this story- whaddaya say, peoples? OKIES!!! ON TO CHAPTER THREE!!! And review, please!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**


	3. 3rd Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Third Wax**

Two days later and one school day gone, Remus felt… Well, not exhausted. Not quite excited, either. The feeling was kind of in between the two emotions.

The first day of the school year had been fine. Remus got to know his first, second, and third years, and he hadn't had to pass out any detentions –yet. He was smart, and he knew that there was almost always a bunch of rowdy kids whose behavior was not unlike the Marauders back in his day.

Even Sirius appeared to be doing a decent job. Remus thought so simply because no one had been rushed to the Hospital Wing on day one of the term. Of course, Remus kept that observation to himself. He wasn't sure Sirius would appreciate any 'constructive criticism'.

It was at suppertime of day one, though, that Remus and Sirius received a peculiar invitation. Arthur and Molly Weasley were celebrating Ginny returning to Hogwarts for her seventh and final year, and they wanted to invite the two teachers.

"It's a disaster waiting to happen," Sirius told Remus while they were in Sirius's office and thought about going. "Ginny doesn't hate me. She _despises_ me; she wants me dead. All because Ron sacrificed himself during the Second Great War to drag my sorry arse out of the veil, leaving her another brother short _and_ single." Sirius looked at Remus with fretful gray eyes. "You know Harry. When he and Ginny were an item, it was looking like they were on Bridal Road. I thought they were going to get married and live happily ever after –kind of like James and Lily."

Remus sighed at the mention of their best friends. "Sirius, Harry is _not_ James. You can't look at him and think everything's going to be all right. Just like we shouldn't have when James and Lily married," he added in a smaller voice.

Sirius seemed to ignore the last comment. "I just don't see the point in going when that girl probably hates me more than Snivellus ever will."

"First of all, there's no 'Snivellus', Padfoot," the werewolf corrected. "And second, Molly and Arthur don't blame you at all. My suggestion is that you go because _they_ invited you. If you see Ginny, play it cool and try not to kill yourself."

"Fine." The black-haired wizard shook his head. "I don't get why I listen to you…," he grumbled as they headed to Dumbledore's to let the headmaster know they'd be stepping out for a bit.

"You listen because you know I'm right," Remus retorted as the spiral staircase ended at Dumbledore's door. Before he could knock, the door swung open.

"Ah, Remus, Sirius, you're the first to know," Albus stated as he stood. He waved his arm to motion them in.

The two teachers glanced at each other, and entered –and were speechless.

"Though he missed the first day," Albus continued, "I would like to introduce you to Charles Weasley, our new Care for Magical Creatures professor."

The man to Albus's right grinned and shook both of their hands. He was a Weasley all right, with those freckles, that red hair, and the ocean blue eyes. But there was one problem: Charlie Weasley had been thought dead for nearly two years.

_And I doubt Molly and Arthur know he's here,_ Remus thought as Dumbledore told Charlie to rest up tonight. _So tonight's little extravaganza should be quite the explosion._

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

As per usual, Remus and Sirius were greeted with bear hugs at the door.

"There's always a reason to celebrate, I say!" Molly said with a cheery grin as she took their jackets. "I'm glad you two came!"

"Well, we could make it," Remus stated.

"Oh, Remus," Arthur said, coming up to them, "Tonks is already here. And from what I hear –well, congratulations!!" the Weasley father stated, and he patted Remus hard on the back.

"'Congrats'?" Sirius echoed. "Mooney, when you came to see me a while back, did you-"

"Remus! Sirius!" Tonks ran up to them then, interrupting her cousin. She hugged and kissed her husband, and then hugged Sirius and kissed his cheek. "Remus told me you both took the job," she said to Sirius.

"Yes, well…" Sirius paused. "I hear congratulations are in order?"

"Oh, thank you!!" The Metamorphagus exclaimed. "I'm so happy that I'm pregnant. I mean, it's been a few years now-"

Remus got a shocked look from his best mate, but before he could remark, a scream tore through the house. The guests quieted, and Arthur and Molly exchanged a worried glance.

"Um, I'll be right back," Arthur mumbled, and he clambered upstairs.

Molly looked after her husband. "Ginny…," she breathed.

Remus looked at Sirius, who looked equally concerned. The Weasley daughter screaming like that? What had happened?

The werewolf grabbed himself a drink, also grabbing some much needed alone time. He saw that Fred and George were home, along with their fiancés, Verity and Angelina. Other than them, the only other partygoers were Molly, Arthur, Tonks, Sirius, and himself. Well, Ginny, too.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, he saw Arthur come back downstairs, and Ginny followed soon after. Tonks practically jumped on her, and the two women conversed for a bit. Then Verity and Angelina met Ginny, and Tonks backed off. Remus guessed Tonks hadn't said anything yet to Ginny, for Tonks' hair turned a muted, mousey brown. Then he blinked. Ginny had bumped into him.

"Did Tonks tell you the news?" he asked Ginny, and he mentally kicked himself. Though he didn't know what to chat about, the only thing his mind could come up with was the one thing he was trying to get off his mind. _I need to get out more._

Ginny smiled. "She didn't have a chance to-"

"What Remus meant to ask," his wife cut in, coming up beside him, "was 'Did Tonks tell you the _good_ news'?"

"What? His 'furry little problem's' gone?"

Remus forced a smile. "Uh –not exactly-"

"I'm pregnant!!" Dora happily cried. "Oh, I do hope the baby has your eyes, dear…"

Remus had to wonder how Nymphadora could act so natural after what she had pulled on him over a week ago. But he supposed it was easier to break the big news to friends rather than to your own spouse.

Ginny lifted an eyebrow and caught his eye, so he pulled her aside in hopes of clearing _some_thing up for the night. "I'd thought you might appreciate a heads-up: He's here," he said about Sirius, and he frowned when her jaw clenched. "Be kind, though, Ginny. He's not an evil man."

The redhead frowned herself. "I wish you people would stop treating me like I'm the bad one here. You know damn well that I don't want to see his face."

_Ever the stubborn one…_ "If Molly and Arthur can stand him," Remus pointed out, "and even manage to show him some kindness, I think you would be an even better person for forgiving him, as well."

"What's there to forgive?" she muttered, but he saw her lose the angry fire she had just possessed. She picked up a biscuit, but didn't eat it. He knew she had lost her appetite.

The rest of the evening was polite, and dinner was delicious. Remus saw that Ginny had spoken with Sirius, but the arrival of supper interrupted him, and Mooney wondered what he had been about to say. Of course, only after the meal when he and Sirius returned to Hogwarts did Remus recall Charlie's sudden appearance…and the fact that he hadn't said anything to Molly and Arthur.

Suddenly, Remus's good feeling was plenty gone.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**And onto chappie four!! This story's going a lot smoother now, and I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do. It's fun writing Remus! But who knows who else I'll write for…heh.**

**READ AND REVIEW!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**


	4. 4th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Fourth Wax**

Remus yawned the next morning, and felt his bed beside him. _Oh, that's right. I'm at Hogwarts…_ Then he wasn't as surprised that his side wasn't warm, since Tonks wasn't there. He got up, shaved, and dressed. One final look in the mirror and- He stopped. Maybe it was just the sunlight this morning, but…his scars… The scars that marred his haggard face seemed pinker on his pale face today. They didn't hurt anymore, but they were a constant reminder of what he became once every month, under the light of the full moon.

_Which reminds me of my original problem…,_ he observed as he headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Again, the questions troubled him: Would the child be okay? Would Tonks be okay? Would the child be a werewolf? Would either Tonks or the child survive?

He pushed the quandaries out of the forefront of his mind and took his seat near Sirius as Dumbledore entered the hall near the staff table. The other teachers got settled when the Great Hall went dead silent, like the Weasley household last night. Of course, the hall was quiet for the same reason, too –Ginny had just entered the Great Hall. She quickly strode to her Gryffindor table and sat alone, as her housemates pulled away from her.

Disrupting the alienation, the headmaster rose and lectured the students about some behavior from the previous day. For once, his words were brief, and he soon sat down, causing the morning meal to appear.

Remus spoke with Sirius. "Where's Charlie? I thought he was our new Creatures teacher."

Sirius shook his head. "I dunno. I thought he was going to join us at the table like the other professors. Although," he added, "Dumbledore _is_ one for…'style'."

"Hmm."

And sure enough, as breakfast died down, the headmaster walked to his podium again. He cleared his throat, and the hubbub of the students quieted. "This year," he began, "many changes to staff have happened. Seeing that Professor Hagrid has retired and Professor Grubbley-Plank is now at Beauxbatons, we have hired someone else to fill the role of teacher for Care for Magical Creatures. With experience especially firsthand from the Dragon Plains, please welcome Professor Charles Weasley."

Only _then_ did Charlie enter the Great Hall, using the staff entrance. With his long hair, tattoos, and Weasley blue eyes, Remus knew Ginny was staring at her brother. And he also knew that Charlie was not the only one in trouble.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

The meal ended too fast, and Remus could not get away fast enough.

"HOLD IT, YOU FOUR!!!" Ginny hollered behind them. She had just exited the Great Hall, and Remus could feel her eyes on him, Sirius, Neville, and Charlie.

The four professors halted. Remus heard Ginny stomp right up to them, but none of the men turned around. What could they say? Ginny was scary.

"All of you, face me –NOW!" she huffed.

At once, the four turned and faced her together. Their faces were respectively the same shade of off-white.

Ginny glowered at each of them in turn. "Someone better start talking," she growled venomously in a low voice.

"I was trying to tell you last night-" Sirius began, but she held her hand up to his face.

"From anyone but you."

"I tried telling you that Remus and Sirius were here this morning, but McGonagall had only just told me about your brother, honestly!" Neville whimpered.

Remus wanted to roll his eyes. He had to admit, Neville could be a real chicken-shit sometimes. Instead, the were half-smiled. "It slipped my mind to mention anything?" he supplied, shrugging.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" She faced her brother. "And what excuse do you have? It better be good, because we thought you might've been dead."

Charlie cleared his throat as the students went out around them to their classes. "Look, all I'll say now is that I finished recovering only a few days ago when Dumbledore contacted me. No one but he knew I was coming."

The girl closed her eyes. "We haven't heard from you in over a year," she rasped. "Bill and Fleur had died a few feet from you. Percy died defending Ron and me while looking for you. Ron died-" Her voice caught. Remus understood that she couldn't finish that sentence when Sirius, whom she believed was the cause of Ron's death, was standing right there. "He's gone and that's that," she finished.

Charlie reached forward to place a comforting arm around her, but she slapped his hand away.

"You know," Ginny mumbled, hiding her face behind her hair, "you look just like Bill with your hair tied back like that." She turned from them and ran, leaving at the corner at the end of the corridor.

"It's not like I'm trying to fill Bill's shoes," Charlie thought aloud, sighing and running a hand through his hair.

_Quite the spectacle,_ Remus thought. "Maybe you ought to owl your parents, Charlie," he suggested. "I'll see you all later. I'll need all the energy I can get before teaching those young ones." He started walking, and then stopped. "Neville," he called over his shoulder, "don't you have a class to teach now?"

Neville jolted slightly and nodded. He said bye to Charlie and Sirius, and joined Remus. "That was scary," the Herbology professor stated once they were at a safe distance.

"Well, women are like that." He paused. "I doubt you have that experience, since Luna… _Has_ she ever exploded?"

"I've never seen it," Neville answered. "The only emotions I've seen from her have been happy, indifferent, and loving," he said with a small, heartfelt smile.

Something in Remus didn't want to hear that. _Ugh, enough with love, _he thought. He parted with Neville and headed to his own classroom to prepare for Defense Against the Dark Arts with the first years. As he set up the Cornish pixies, Remus saddened. _I understand how Ginny feels, though. I'm sick of people lying to me, too. Which makes me sick of love._

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Ooh, the boys are lucky they're alive! Okay, well, let's review this chappie and onto chappie five!!!**

**REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**


	5. 5th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Fifth Wax**

Finally, a week had passed, and Remus was getting used to teaching once again. The last time he had taught had been Harry, Hermione, and Ron's seventh year. Then, right after they graduated, Voldemort's most vicious attack had happened, and Harry had his final showdown with the Dark Lord, ending in victory.

After that, Remus couldn't deal with the Auror's office, where he had worked before going back to Hogwarts for the trio's last year. There really hadn't been many options for Remus, so he became unemployed. Tonks had stayed with the Auror's office, and they had plenty in savings to support themselves, but Remus was glad to be busy again, especially since he needed to do something to keep his mind off… Well, off her…_treachery_.

His mind drifted while his third years practiced the spell against a boggart. How could he kid himself? _I came back not just to get some time away from Dora,_ he admitted. _I came back because I need time away from her smothering me. I don't- I don't love her like my soulmate._

_I've never been _in_ love with her._

So he let normalcy claim him as a student fell on his arse and the boggart assumed the shape of a dragon. Remus stepped in front of the kids, and the beast appropriately changed into a full moon. But then it changed –or, rather, it tried changing, but it didn't take to another solid body. The teacher couldn't tear his eyes away; his thoughts and fears had probably become one now, too jumbled for the boggart to scare him.

The boggart eventually went back to the full moon guise, so Remus drew his wand. "_Ridiculus!!_" he shouted, and the moon became a shining, white bowling ball that fell to the floor with a thud.

The class laughed, and the attempt resumed. They were pretty good, but Remus couldn't help but compare them to Harry and his friends in their third. Never had he seen such a talented group. He wondered if he would ever see another again.

Suddenly, the lunch bell rang, and the third years bustled around, collecting their bags and books. "Remember to finish reading the chapter," Remus bellowed over the commotion. "I want twenty inches on the reasons why a boggart can be a fearsome creature!" He supposed they heard him, but he knew if they had or not when he collected the homework tomorrow.

On his way to lunch, he swung by Sirius's classroom. It was empty, though. _He probably went down already,_ the were inferred. The brunette wizard headed down himself, a tune caught in his mind. It distracted him, enough that he nearly crashed into something. Well, someone.

"Remus!" Neville exclaimed. "How's today been?"

"Oh, fine… I didn't see you two there," Remus stated. He nodded to Luna, who smiled.

"Yeah, Luna surprised me last period. She's doing another piece that's going to be on the front page."

"That's great," Remus commented.

"I'm going to do some research for my next few features here, at Hogwarts," the Lovegood girl said. "I'll be visiting a bit more often, since I'll be in and out of the Forbidden Forest."

The werewolf frowned. "On your own? Is that such a good idea?"

"Luna's great at handling herself in there," Neville declared. "Fearless, this one."

Remus raised an eyebrow and Luna nodded in agreement with Neville, but her lips were pursed. The werewolf didn't pursue it, though. Instead, he changed the subject. "Are you joining us for lunch?"

She shook her head. "No, I've got to go. I'll see you later, Neville," she said, and Neville pecked her cheek. Luna waved to the other wizard. "See you, Remus."

"Yeah…" He watched her leave them, and he turned to Neville. "You're fine with her being in danger?"

Neville frowned. "Well, no… But she really can handle herself, you know. Luna's smart and strong, and she really has no fear. That… That sometimes makes me nervous, though. It-It's almost like-" He stopped short and picked his head up. "Oh, wow! That smells delicious!!" And he went ahead and took his seat next to Sirius.

Remus furrowed his brow and hesitantly sat down. _How can he be so calm about it?_ he wondered as he tasted his sandwich. The taste wasn't right, so he put his sandwich down and sipped at some water. _I think he should worry more. I mean, the look on her face –She seemed like she _wanted_ him to care more._ Remus paused as he realized that was the most likely reason. _She's definitely right about observing people…_

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Short, I know, but the next few should be longer –they'll definitely be better! Ooh, I can't wait! And please review, peoples!!! REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! & on to six we go!**

**-mew-tsubaki**


	6. 6th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Sixth Wax**

"Oh, boy."

"You said it."

Remus shook his head. "I wonder how long it will be before Hogwarts is blown up. There's no doubt in my mind that Ginny got one, too."

Sirius shook the wedding invite in the air. "Harry really got over her quick, didn't he?"

"And now he's _marrying_ Hermione?" The werewolf leaned with his elbows on the table. "Does true love happen that fast?"

"I dunno." Padfoot put his invite back in its envelope and stuffed it in his jacket. "I've gotta go. I still have a multitude of papers and assignments to correct." He stood and pushed his chair back. "I'll see you later, Mooney."

Remus put away his own invitation. "Watch your back, Sirius. I think she will be on the hunt for your head now."

Sirius waved over his shoulder and left the Great Hall.

His best mate didn't finish his breakfast either. It was the beginning of October now, and the weekend, and little excitement had happened. Remus had been able to keep a quiet life at the school for witchcraft and wizardry, with just two letters from Tonks so far about how she was growing. Other than that, things had been calm. Until now.

It really did puzzle Remus about how Harry could suddenly be married Hermione. The two had been together for a little over two years, yes, but Harry had switched from Ginny to Hermione so fast that most of their friends thought it would be a long while before marriage entered the picture.

_Of course, if they fall into this too fast, it'll be over all too quickly,_ the D.A.D.A. teacher thought. _Just like Dora and me._

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

"The Diricawl is today's subject. Can anyone tell me where it came from?" Remus asked the following Tuesday.

A female Slytherin raised her hand, and Remus pointed to her. "It originated in Mauritius."

"Good. It did indeed come from Mauritius, an island nation east of Madagascar. With blue-gray feathers, a hooked black bill with a red sheath, and yellow legs, the Diricawl has no way of disguising itself. Its wings are also too small to carry the Diricawl in flight."

A male Ravenclaw raised his hand. "That's because the Diricawl poofs from one place to another when in danger."

"Correct," Remus answered. "An ability that the phoenix shares. It also has another name. Turn to page seventy-three and start reading about the history of this magical bird." He turned away from the second years then and flipped through his grade book, scanning to see if there were any missing projects.

There was a knock at his door. His students stopped and looked up at the same time he did, and the door cracked open a bit. Luna popped her head in.

"Uh, keep reading until you hit page eighty-five," the teacher stated. "I'll be right back." He stood and left the classroom, closing the door behind him.

Luna smiled. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Oh, it's fine. I was just giving them some bookwork anyway." Remus scratched his head. "Um, if you don't mind my asking…"

"Why am I here?" she finished for him. "For my research, of course."

"And that includes werewolves?"

She clasped her hands behind her back and walked a bit away from him. "…Maybe." She glanced back at him and smiled.

Remus caught with up the witch. "So another visit to Neville, too. You two have something good."

Luna slightly nodded. "But I'm mainly here for my research. I plan on observing a kappa family near the Black Lake. There's a river that runs as an offshoot –I saw it back in my sixth year –and it leads to a scattering of ponds. I'm sure they're-"

"Luna, stop. Kappa are demons. They feed on human blood. They have a quadruple X Ministry of Magic classification, and for good reason. They're dangerous!"

"Not if you carve your name in a cucumber and toss it to them," she retorted.

Remus pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "That doesn't work all the time."

"I'll be fine," she stated. "You heard it from Neville." She leaned in. "I'm fearless."

The wizard sighed. _And bloody stupid!_ But he didn't say that. "Luna, you should really-"

"Oh, I've got to go," she cut off, glancing at her watch. "And you have a class. See you soon, Remus."

He grabbed her wrist as she turned to leave. Remus blinked, for his body had acted of its own accord. He released her. "Uh, never mind. Be careful."

She nodded and smiled that dreamland smile of hers. "Of course." And then she left down the corridor.

The werewolf shook his head, feeling like he had a knot in his stomach. He returned to his classroom, a room full of eyes on him. He went back to his desk, and when they still stared at him, he lifted his head. "I gave an assignment," he said very loudly. Their heads all bowed at once, and he went back to his grade book. Unfortunately, he couldn't concentrate.

He stood and walked around the classroom, checking the students' work, but he paused at the window. Outside, it was getting colder, and his eyes drifted to the forest. He hoped she _could_ handle herself.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

At supper, he caught up with Neville. The Herbology teacher sported a brand-new busted lip and dark bags under his eyes. Remus fought his urge to laugh at the sorry sight. "What happened to _you_?"

Neville shook his head. "I was watching the mooncalves as they were migrating last night, since tonight's the full moon." He eyes darted to Remus.

"I know, Neville, I can feel it. And no, you don't have to be jumpy about the moon and me. Snape's wolfsbane potion is keeping me in line, but I can already feel my bones itching to shift."

"Right…"

"By the way…," Remus started, wary of broaching the subject, "did you know that Luna's going into the forest in search of kappa?"

The younger wizard nodded. "I know. But like I've said before, she's fine on her own."

Remus hid his frown as they joined the other staff at their table. _She's not fine on her own,_ he thought, _but she'd be better with-_ He caught himself before he finished that thought. _No. It's not my place to say anything._

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

The following week Remus found himself growing weary from the same old routine. He hated how every day felt like meal, blather, meal, blather, scolding, blather, blather, meal. _Things are…_too_ monotonous,_ he admitted to himself.

But of course that rhythm was broken.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

A knock on Remus's classroom door disturbed his class that Wednesday. He stopped what he was doing and left the third years with a slideshow on the demiguise. Remus tucked his wand in his belt and checked to see who was visiting him.

Though he had a feeling, Luna faced him, her familiar smile on her face. "Thought you might want to check and see for yourself." She rolled up her sleeves. "See? I am still in one piece."

He held his head in his hand. "You took me out of class –yet again –for that?"

"Well, you seemed intent that I was going to be the kappa's next feast." Luna looked at him with a blank face. "I'd say you were almost worried."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Is that what we're calling it these days?"

She smiled in response. "I'm sad to say that I'm almost done with them. They're very cute little fellows, you see."

"I'm sorry, but I don't think of something that typically seeks out human blood as its favorite drink as cute." His ears pricked up and he glared at the door. "I think I better get back in there."

Luna touched her fingertip to her chin. "Humans: Scarier than beasts?"

"Not quite," Remus answered, "but some come close. See you, Luna."

"Yes, see you," he heard as he closed the door behind him. And he saw her again very soon.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

The next day, Remus was giving his first years a quiz. They were on their fairy unit, and he was having them separate the fairies from firefaeries as well as pixies. Twenty minutes in, it was obvious that there was still a lot of learning to be done.

"Um, the pixie's the one with the all-black eyes that are big, about a third of its head," a Gryffindor boy stated.

"Good," the haggard professor complimented. "What about the firefaerie?"

"Um, the one on the left?"

Remus just about screamed. How many times had he told them that firefaerie wings were forked and not tapered like a normal fairy? And that firefaeries partially scorched where they stood or sat?!

_Someone _please_ save me from this hell!_ he internally pleaded. He had the kids continue anyway, because he needed to know where they were strongest. As Fate would have it, his wish was granted, and he exited the room before Luna's knuckles hit the door on their third rap.

The werewolf sighed and started walking away from his class. He paused a few meters away and looked over his shoulder at Luna. "Are you coming or not?"

Luna blinked, and then caught up with him. "You're more stressed out than usual."

"Does it show?" He stopped, and she nearly bumped into his back. Remus turned and heaved another sigh. "I don't mean to whine. I just-" He hung his head and closed his eyes for a second. He opened them when Luna ducked under and rested his forehead on the top of her head. "What are you-?"

"Shh," she said, and she pressed a finger to his lips. "Rest."

Remus closed his eyes again and calmed down. After all, that was the effect she had on him. Then he wizened up and lifted his head. "What are you doing back so soon? I thought you did weekly visits."

"Actually, I come as often as I feel." She smiled. "It appears I came at the right moment."

"For my blood pressure, yes. But I don't want either of us to get in trouble because you come visit when I have a class."

Luna cocked her head to the side. "Then when is your free period?"

He chuckled. "Luna, that's something. That's… You're serious," he stated when she just stared at him. "Um, but, I'm sure you have better things to do, like your research and spending time with Neville."

"And why wouldn't spending time with you qualify?"

"I-" Remus shook his head. "Luna…"

"You live for the here-and-now, correct?"

"Luna, that's what _you_ said-"

"So why worry about consequences?"

"Because consequences influence the next bit of my here-and-now!" he snapped. He blinked and averted his gaze. "Look, I don't want to yell at you…"

"Then don't." She touched his chin and turned his head to hers. "Don't do want you don't want to do. Don't worry about that which doesn't hurt you right now –or won't. Don't think there won't ever be a day when you can breathe easily." Her blue eyes were soft and comforting. "And smile. Those who smile live longer."

Remus looked at her, at the smiling witch who really believed those words –_her_ words. And he wanted to believe them, too.

_So why shouldn't you?_

The thought hit him, and he wondered. Why had he always just gone along with the flow of things? When James and Sirius planned a prank, he either remained a bystander or joined in; he never stood up to them when he didn't like what they were doing. When he took orders from the Order of the Phoenix, he rarely suggested anything; he just carried out the plan. When Tonks had told him she was pregnant, he hadn't thrown a hissy fit or demanded to know why she had hurt him by betraying him so. For the life of him, he didn't know why had barely, rarely challenged anything. And now Luna was challenging him to challenge her. The only difference this time was that he accepted the quest.

She grinned a rather all-knowing grin, and Remus rolled his eyes again. But she kept his face level with hers. She wasn't going to let him back down and away from anything anymore.

It was then that it hit him smack-dab in the face. Looking at her now, taking comfort in her words and presence, glancing at her lips with an idea in mind-

Remus had fallen in love with Luna.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**IT'S HAPPENED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, so maybe it took a while, maybe it went a little fast, but I LIKE IT!!! WHO'S WITH ME?!! Ah, with that out of my system, I feel like the story will flow a little better now and that Rena will grow…but what's on Luna's mind? Hmm. Good question. Well, let's begin to answer that question in chappie 7. But you gotta REVIEW first!!! Rena appreciates it (and so do I!)!!!**

**Read and review, as always, dearies!**

**-mew-tsubaki**


	7. 7th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Seventh Wax**

_**Knock, knock.**_ "Is the professor in?"

Remus's heart raced, but he calmed himself down and set aside his stack of papers. "Come in, Luna."

The Lovegood girl entered his office, her usual mysterious smile plastered on her face. "See? I remembered your free period is always before lunch."

He shook his head, chuckling. Merlin, when had he last chuckled so much? He pushed that thought aside, pushed his chair back, and stood. "Well, I would hope so by now. This is –what? –the third time you've come to see me." It occurred to him as he walked around his desk how those words sounded. _But do they mean anything to Luna?_ He looked at her, but all he found was that strange smile of hers. _Maybe not…_

"I was thinking that we could pay the kappa family a visit," Luna stated. "They've come to really like me."

"Are you sure that's not because they like the smell of your blood?"

She shrugged. "Maybe I am delicious. I don't plan on them ever finding out, though." The witch tugged on his hand. "Come on. Let's go!"

Her enthusiasm was hard to resist –_as always_, Remus told himself –and she quickly and easily snuck him out of the castle. The November breeze blew through the trees and their hair, and Luna shivered. When they reached the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, they stopped, and she shivered again. Remus shrugged out of his over-robe and draped it around her shoulders. "You're going to catch a cold if all you ever wear is that sweatshirt," he stated.

Luna blinked and pulled the cloak onto her arms, pulling the flaps closer to her to close the robe. "Thank you, Remus." She grinned, her cheeks and nose red from the cold.

The werewolf's heart thudded so hard in his chest, he was surprised that she couldn't hear it. "So where is the kappa pond?"

"It's a half-mile from here," she answered as he ducked a low-hanging tree branch. "Although, it's easy to get sidetracked. There are many interesting things in here."

"You haven't run into any of the centaurs, have you? They're always looking for a fight."

Luna shook her head. "No, but I have heard them stampeding in the distance before. But I also think they remember me." She tucked her chin in when a very strong gust of wind chilled her to the bone. "I came in here nearly every day."

"Why?"

"It has a peaceful atmosphere. No one will hide my things or clothes, and I don't have to listen to some of the nasty things that people would shoot at me." She paused ahead of him and didn't turn.

Remus didn't like how quiet she had become. He closed the gap between them in a few short strides for him, and he touched her elbow. "Luna, why didn't you say anything?"

She shook her head. If he had expected her to be teary or crying, then he should have expected less. Her expression was impassive. "Why bother the teachers? I eventually got my items back at the end of each year. I even began to think of the teasing as a game. If I were weak, then I would have lost." She raised her eyebrows. "I showed them, didn't I?"

"Luna, that wasn't teasing. That was bullying."

Luna frowned then. "It doesn't matter what it was. I'm happy with what I do now." She shivered again. "I think it's going to snow to-"

Remus interrupted her when he wrapped his arms around her. "The cold isn't healthy for you." He rested his chin on his head. "And neither is a job that leaves you without human interaction. If –_When_ you begin to think you might lose, you might be weak, come to me. So stop excluding yourself."

When she didn't say anything, he pulled a bit away and looked down at her. She gazed straight up at him. "Chivalry _isn't_ dead."

He blushed as she laughed. "Why, you-!" He caught her in his arms again. "You're trouble, you know that?"

"I'm not trouble. I'm Luna," she retorted.

"No, you're a mischief-maker."

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Soon enough, they reached the kappa pond. It pooled several hundred meters from the Black Lake, with dark bluish-green waters. There were quite a few kappa, varying only in size.

Remus stopped at the edge of the clearing, while Luna went to the water's edge. "Are you really sure about this?"

Luna looked at him over her shoulder. "Come here, Remus. You should pet them." As she said that, a kappa waddled up to her and presented its bald head to be patted. She stroked its head as if it were any plain old dog or cat.

The wizard gulped. "I dunno… What if it turns on us?"

"They haven't before," was all she offered.

Tentatively, Remus stepped forward. When nothing attacked him, he joined Luna at her side and knelt down to better look at the creature soaking up her affection. "Is there anything special I should know before trying to touch them?"

"I don't think there's anything I have to teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Luna quipped.

"Right…" The were reached out and placed his hand cautiously on the kappa's head. It wasn't slimy as he had thought it would be. It felt like a cold, polished rock. The kappa enjoyed the attention, too, so much that he began to tilt his head.

Luna gasped. "Watch what you're doing!" she scolded, and Remus immediately stopped. "You've got to remember that they carry water in the top of their head. If they spill it, they'll die."

"Right. Sorry…" Remus didn't touch another kappa again, instead choosing to just sit beside the witch. "So this is your escape, huh?"

She crooked her head. "I suppose."

"But now I know where it is." He jokingly nudged her. "Now you have nowhere to go!"

"No, I do." Her blue eyes roved over the entire clearing before they came to rest on him. "I've got right here."

Her eyes on him incurred heat into his cheeks, but he was distracted by her words. They didn't make sense. Had she intended it that way, or did he just not understand her…? She abruptly stood, and he scrambled to his feet. "Is something the matter?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "But we've been out here for a while. We should probably head back."

"Um, of course…" Remus trailed a little bit behind her, just watching her. He recalled listening and laughing at her observations of others before the school year began, when he had gone shopping with her and Neville. She was so insightful when it came to other people. _So why, _the brunette wizard thought, _is it so hard to learn anything past her surface?_

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

It was a quiet journey back to his office, much to Remus's chagrin. He knew Luna well enough by now to know that her being silent was not just her being lost in ponderings. He could at least feel that something did not quite sit right with her.

At the door, Luna took his over-robe off and passed it back to him. "Thank you again," she said.

"It's no problem," he replied, and his heart twinged again. If something didn't sit right with her, she wasn't going to say it. "I'll…see you, Luna."

He thought she was going to nod, but instead she looked at the floor. "Kappa aren't that bad, are they?"

Remus smiled. "No, they're not."

She looked at him with her regular smile now. "See? Once you get to know something better, all your questions are answered."

He was taken aback. That statement could easily describe her or the kappa.

"I'll see you, too, Remus," she stated, and she grabbed his free hand and gave it a squeeze. Then she turned around and left the corridor.

_Now I have a headache…,_ he grumbled on his way downstairs to eat. He involuntarily glanced at Neville on his way to his seat. _And Neville doesn't realize just how lucky he is to have such a special girl._

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Luna dropping by was usually like that: either taking Remus out for a walk in the forest or just talking with him in his office. Remus was careful to not bring up her Hogwarts experience again, because he didn't think she'd want to talk about her personal life again, and she had been nice enough to leave his out of their conversations. But he did stress quite a bit about any danger she was getting into.

"You're a worrywart," she told him during the third week of December. She swiveled in his chair.

"And you're brazen," he replied, stopping her tornado with both his hands on the armrests. "And stop that. You're going to break my chair."

"I don't break things."

"You mean you haven't yet."

She lifted her chin. "Well met." The reporter gazed out the window. "The snow's been piling up. It's getting colder."

Remus looked out the opening, too. "You're right." He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And Christmas is coming up, too. Hard to believe that next week is vacation…"

"Good reporters never take a break, though." Luna suddenly stood and opened her messenger bag. She passed him a paper. "My article on the kappa is done. I was mainly comparing their habitat to the better kept one of the merpeople, but I also included an idea about their beast status. Go on, read it."

He admitted to himself that he was skeptical, but he didn't let is show on his face. He started reading. "This is really good," Remus complimented when he was halfway through. "Your writing is very solid, and –hey! You included that part about the water in their head because I nearly killed one, didn't you?"

"Maybe…," she said in a sing-song tone. "Do you like it?"

Remus finished reading, and smiled at her. "Perfect job. An A+."

They both laughed, and she poked his arm. "Someone can't drop his teacher face," she teased. She sighed contentedly and took his arm to lean on. "So. Christmas is coming up."

"Yep." Remus lowered the article. "I haven't gotten anything for anyone yet. My classes have kept me relatively busy." He raised an eyebrow at her. "And you're very demanding of my time, as well."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Well, you never said if you mind or not."

"You know I don't mind. You can read that on my face."

Luna giggled. "Yes, it is rather prominent." She looked up at him, just staring.

"Is there something on my chin?" he asked, and he felt the stubble on his jaw and around his mouth.

She blinked, and quickly averted her gaze. "No, no. You're fine." She lifted her wrist and glanced at her watch, and sighed. "I've got to go."

"On a Saturday?"

"Yes." She released him and gave him a half-grin. "I don't think you'll see me until after the holidays."

Inside, his heart plummeted to his stomach. "O-oh, okay," he managed, trying to cover the catch in his voice. "Well, then, Happy Christmas, Luna."

"Happy Christmas, Remus." She patted his cheek, and her full smile returned. The witch plucked her article from his hands, stuffed it in her bag, and left.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

After dinner, Remus yawned. He was definitely ready for a break from teaching. _I don't think I'm really meant for work with kids, _he thought. He straightened his back –and wished he hadn't. _My back…!_

He rose from his seat, scanning the staff table. Sirius was nowhere to be found, and Charlie was on his own, too. Remus saw why, as Neville was just about out the door. The D.A.D.A. professor caught up to the Herbology one.

Neville looked over his shoulder. "Oh, Remus. Calling it an early night, too?"

"Yes… It's been quite the school year so far. And we're barely halfway through it."

"Huh… Halfway through already…" Neville grinned, looking up at the ceiling. "My second year of teaching almost gone so soon… It's weird. I mean, I guess it's not that weird. Gran never did like my teaching Herbology, but she's glad I can support myself. And Luna's been writing for her dad's paper for almost three years, since she started during her seventh year."

Remus was impressed. "Really?"

"Yeah. And her stuff's good. Really good."

"I know what you mean," the werewolf replied. "'Did you read her final copy of her kappa article? Her writing truly stands out."

"She finished it?"

Remus froze. Neville had stopped a step behind him, and the were could feel the younger wizard's eyes on him. "Well, I…bumped into her. She was on her way to see you today." _Shit,_ Remus mentally scolded himself, wanting to hit his head against the wall. _I just definitely brought up something I shouldn't have!_

"She didn't drop by today," Neville stated.

That actually gnawed at Remus a bit, while another part of him didn't mind at all. Hadn't Remus just been a stop on her way to her boyfriend? "Well, she probably got distracted by some new topic and the research involved," Remus offered.

Neville smiled then. "Yeah, that's Luna all right."

"I mean, she's been at the castle quite a bit, doing research for the kappa piece."

"You've seen her come and go, then." Neville frowned. "I've seen her in and out of the forest, too. But the last time she visited me was when she announced that she was working with kappa. I wish she didn't have to be so busy with work."

Remus nearly froze again. _Th-The last time…she's seen him…was…more than two months ago?_ His mind raced wild alongside his imagination. So, Luna had been visiting _him_ this whole time… Wasn't _that_ peculiar? He smiled. "Cheer up, Neville. Over the holidays, everything will brighten up."

"You think so?"

"I think so," Remus answered, while his conscious kicked him for it. Hopefully, things didn't go _too_ well for them.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Weird. We're already heading into Christmas territory. Huh. This story has moved along really fast, but I love it. Yay, Rena!!! Okies, now move along and review please!! And onto Christmas we go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**


	8. 8th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Eighth Wax**

Neville, luckily, was dense enough that Remus's few words stopped the young teacher from fretting. If they hadn't, well… I think we all know that that could've led to an explosion.

_Speaking of explosions, _the werewolf thought during one of his classes. He looked over his students as they took one final test before departing for the holidays, but his mind was elsewhere. _Tonks will be waiting at home, there'll be a get-together with her parents, we'll have to put a visit in at the Weasleys' –this won't be as easy as past Christmases._ His watch beeped and he stopped mid-step. "Time's up. Quills down. Don't touch your papers until I've collected them."

There were shuffles as they did as he said. Remus flicked his wand and the papers lifted off the desks; another swish and they floated into his open hands. Right as the last one touched down, the bell rang, and the classroom was filled with utter chaos as the second years ran to get ahead of their classmates.

"Happy Christmas!!" Remus hollered over the tumult. "And remember: no underage magic while away from school!!" The teacher stood near his desk as the last of them disappeared through the doors, and he finally sat down. He was glad that it was finally the last night before leaving, though what awaited him at home wasn't any better than what was there for him at Hogwarts.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

The next day was one of packing and carting students away. Without classes, the atmosphere had lightened considerably, both for the kids and teachers. Remus was surprised that he only bumped into Sirius once; he hadn't seen much of his best mate in a long while, despite working in the same place. _Well, I'll at least see him at the Weasleys'._ The teacher returned his office after a quick bite in the Great Hall that night.

_Another holiday rolls in like a fog, _Remus thought glumly as he packed the books and papers he'd need over the break. He paused to glance out the window. Outside, a shining crescent hung in the velvety, navy sky; however, the wintery chill crept in through the stone walls, and he hoped it wouldn't start snowing until he got home.

He left his quarters and started down the corridor. The halls were fairly lively, as many students moved to or fro, leaving for Christmas. The werewolf dodged a pair of skeedadling first years and stepped to the side. _Maybe I should wait until things calm down?_

"Remus?"

Automatically, he straightened a bit. Then, of course, he gave himself a mental headslap. _You idiot! _he scolded himself. _Just because you realized you have feelings for her doesn't mean it's a good idea to overreact to her voice!_ He turned around and locked eyes with her. _Don't overreact to those big, ice blue…eyes…either._ "Hello, Luna," Remus finally managed.

She smiled and flung her plait over her shoulder. "Neville's taking so long; I thought I might deliver a holiday's greetings."

"Yes. I'm sure everyone will enjoy that," he stated with a smile.

A peculiar expression flitted across her features. "'Everyone'… Yes, I suppose." Whatever the odd expression, it disappeared beneath her smile. "May I see you out?"

"Be my guest," he replied, and she walked alongside him to the end of the corridor. She stepped in front of him in the hall of the moving stairs.

"Do you know the truth behind Santa Claus?" she asked as they waited for the staircase to realign. "He's actually a charitable wizard who would give presents to children throughout the world."

Remus quelled the chuckle in his throat. "'Would'? When did he stop?"

Luna faced him. "When it was discovered that Mrs. Claus was a young mistress and that he had robbed many house elves' of proper treatment."

"Ah. I see." He thought for a moment, while wishing the stairs would hurry up at the same time. "But some muggle children still miraculously receive gifts on Christmas." Remus teasingly raised his eyebrows. "Care to answer that?"

She put one hand on her hip, the other on the railing. "That's not a challenge. Wizards and witches who heard of their muggle neighbors' and friends' plight merely fill Santa's shoes and poof up the presents themselves." Luna's eyes softened just a tad, and her smile hinted at a tinge of sadness. "So some magic really does exist in this one day."

"Luna… _Watch out_!!" Remus dropped his things as the old staircase gave an unwarranted jerk and Luna lost her grip. Time sped up in Remus' imagination, and all he could see was her braid fluttering in front of her, her back hitting the bottom step, her head cracking on the corner before she dropped down and then the stairs would be all matched up. In reality, his actions were played out in slow motion, and he almost felt as though he were out of his body, watching someone else save her. Remus grabbed one of her wrists and yanked her to him. He hugged her tightly as they made their odd tumble down. The wizard squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head over Luna's, waiting to feel the pain and crack of his own head on the stone surface.

Luckily, only a little bit of pain came. His back did hit the bottom step, and his head did contact the floor, but neither of them were caught on an edge or thrown over. All the same, Remus kept his head over Luna's. _Agh, the pain is excruciating…_

Her voice was quiet –scared, even. "Remus…are you all right?"

"I've suffered much worse, Luna. The question is, are _you_ all right?"

"I'm safe." Again, without warning, the unexpected happened. She tilted her head up so quickly that they hit each other's forehead, but he didn't even feel that. When she moved so fast, he didn't have time to move his face, and their lips brushed. Well, 'brushed' is much too brief; 'touched' is a better choice, for in that three-second moment, Remus could taste her breath on his tongue, and his lips were moistened by her wet ones. Of course, then she ducked her head and buried her face in his chest.

Remus was shell-shocked. _Wha…What just happened?_ His heart raced as it registered in his brain that _she_ kissed _him_. His thoughts didn't cloud, though. A nervous chuckle escaped him. "W-Well…," he began. "We should, erm, get going…now…" He managed to prop himself up on his elbows, but when he tried to help Luna up, she only clung tighter. Again, Remus was surprised. Then he heard the swoosh of a cloak behind him, and his blood turned to ice.

"Luna…?"

Slowly, the werewolf turned his head and saw Neville standing in the doorway. The Herbology teacher looked devastated and naïve, as if he had just had his favorite toy stolen from him. Just as slowly, Neville came closer and helped his love up, but Luna did not look at Remus once more.

Neville brushed Luna's sleeves off while Remus knelt and collected his things. "Luna, are you okay?" Neville asked her. "You…You're trembling," he muttered, taking her hands in his.

Remus stood and his ears pricked up. "Remus saved me from a bad fall is all," she told Neville.

Relief washed over the younger wizard, and he even smiled at Remus. "Happy Christmas!" he told him, and he mouthed a 'thank you' as he and Luna left.

Once again, Remus was on his own. He trudged down another level, his thoughts an unpleasant, jumbled mess. While he could still taste her warm breath, it hurt to have her not look at him again. And had she trembled because of him…? The cold seeped into his bones on the way out, and he hoped it would start snowing before he got home.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

(**we finally enter Luna's point-of-view. sorry it took so long to break away from Remus, peoples. –mt**)

In Neville's office, Luna was quiet. The Herbology teacher zipped up a duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder. He picked up a plant and then looked at the toad on his desk. "Um, Luna?"

"Hmm?"

"Could you take something for me?" he asked, and he motioned to Trevor.

"Of course." She let go of her messenger bag's strap and picked up the large toad. The witch looked at her boyfriend. "Are you ready?"

"Pretty much." They left his office and he locked up, and they headed towards the entryway. "Are you sure you want to spend Christmas with me at my Gran's?"

"Why not?" Luna said. "My father's gone on a last-minute trip anyway. Besides, we haven't seen much of each other anyway."

"Yeah… I was talking with Remus, actually, about that this past weekend. He said you let him preview your kappa article when you bumped into him."

Luna paused before answering. _So, Remus said something,_ she thought. She pursed her lips. _But I don't think he's quite caught onto me yet…_ The witch came back to the present. "Yes, and he liked it. I have it with me, and some other reports, as well. With dad away, I'm in charge of putting together this week's issue."

Neville's eyes lit up, displaying his pride in her. "That's fantastic! Oh, Luna, you're really moving along here!" He shifted his plant to the hand the held the duffle bag's strap, and he hugged her with his free arm, kissing her temple. "Happy Christmas, love," he breathed into her ear, and he gave her another gentle squeeze.

She smiled, but didn't say anything. It was flattering, the attention he showered her in, but it was also suffocating sometimes. She wished –maybe it was her one Christmas wish –that Neville would realize he didn't have to pat her on the head or always hug her or gave her little pecks on the cheek or temple as he had just done. _Maybe I need to do something about this…_ Her eyes briefly darted to the Herbology professor, and she knitted her brows together in concern at the thought, for Neville _had_ always been good to her.

He kissed her cheek as they approached the boundaries of Hogwarts' No-Apparation line. Once past it, they poofed to his grandmother's house and Neville knocked. Augusta let them in and Luna went down the hall to the guest room. The _Quibbler_ reporter placed her bag on the floor and put Trevor down on the nightstand. She sat on top of the comforter. And sighed.

_Another kiss,_ she noted. Though he wasn't a bad kisser and the pecks he left on her cheek were never sloppy or slimy, she did rub her cheek where he last got her. _Why is there on emphasis on kissing to show one's affection?_ she silently asked herself as she looked into the vanity mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair to loosen her braid, and she stopped. Her mind went back to what had transpired twenty minutes ago. She gingerly touched her fingertips to her lips. Only this past weekend had she been staring at Remus's well-formed mouth. Those lips seemed to curl up at the ends only when he was with her, and she felt she preferred it that way. And, at last, tonight… She had tasted those lips, felt his breath.

_And then I ducked my head into his chest,_ she begrudgingly recalled as her the apples of her cheeks flushed and she tugged a brush through her hair. That_ was brave of me._

The witch stopped fiddling with her hair. _I wonder how soon I'll see him again…?_ Her heart sped up, and she blinked. _I wonder how long ago it was that I fell for him…?_

There was a knock on the door jamb, and she turned to see Neville leaning against it. "Gran says supper's ready. You all right?"

"Yes," she said with a partially forced smile. She walked to him and they headed for the dining room.

"Oh, by the way," Neville said, "I got a letter from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Molly and Arthur invited us to their Christmas Eve party. I hope you don't mind; I said we'd both go."

Luna blinked. "Oh, no, that's quite all right. It's been a while since we've seen everyone."

"Yeah… Harry and Hermione will be there, of course, as will Fred and George with their fiancés, Angelina and Verity. Lessee, there'll also be Molly and Arthur, of course, and Charlie said he come by with his girlfriend. Oh, and Remus will be there with Tonks."

The witch smiled for real this time. "It'll be nice to see old faces," she stated, despite the feeling welling up in her stomach. _Of course Remus would go with Tonks. She's his wife…_

Augusta interrupted their conversation. "Come on, come on!! Dinner's ready!!"

Neville rolled his eyes so only Luna saw. "We're coming, Gran!!!"

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Ah, this heart of the Christmas arc in the next chappie… Here's to hoping nothing explodes. No, really. Tonks is hormonal, after all.**

**Well, read and REVIEW, people! Rena and I lurve you for it!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**

**P.S. –I saw the 6****th**** movie. I won't spoil it, but I have but four things to say:**

**-Where did half the book go?**

**-I nearly cried about the Great Hall.**

**-TonksxRemus (you'll understand once you've seen it)**

**-& last but not least, the **_**Burrow**_**.**

**I don't think I've spoiled anything here, but my warning to you is this: You'll laugh, you'll be confused, but…you'll also have your heart ripped out. … See you in chapter nine, guys.**


	9. 9th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Ninth Wax**

"Two galleons, please." "That'll be forty sickles, seven knuts." "Ten galleons, twenty sickles, three knuts." "Thirty galleons, sixty-one knuts."

It didn't seem to stop as Remus did his last-minute Christmas shopping. He knew that the amount would total most of his last two paychecks, but he also knew that it was due to his staying at Hogwarts all the time. _Next time, I need to set aside a Saturday or two to get this done ahead of time._

When he returned home for lunch, Tonks met him at the door and took a few of the bags. He only let her take the light ones, though, as she had grown very much in the past four months. The couple went into the living room and placed everything on the floor after Remus moved the coffee table out of the way.

"So everyone's set?" Dora asked.

"Everyone," Remus replied. He shrugged out of his jacket and sat down on the couch, warming by the fire. "You should know, I had one hell of a time tracking down that kerchief for Andromeda."

"I know Mum will love it," Tonks retorted. "Besides, it's not my fault that she didn't express any interest in a specific gift until I went shopping with her last week. I take it you got the pocket watch for Dad?"

The were tapped on a gift-wrapped box. "With limited-edition collector's box."

His wife smiled. "You didn't have to go that far." She sat beside him and embraced him. "But thank you."

Remus stared into the fire. "Christmas is supposed to be a time of celebration. It's not supposed to go wrong."

"And I thank you for trying to make this the perfect one." She leaned her head against his, her hair turning a cheery, flowery pink. "Just think, next Christmas will be the most perfect Christmas ever. After all, there'll be one more to buy gifts for." She snuggled him, warming under the fire's light, too.

He touched one of her hands, but he didn't respond, neither did he give her a reassuring look. Yes, possibly next Christmas there would be a child running around their tree, but doubt gnawed at him. Though Remus was pulling himself back together –mainly thanks to Luna –he and Tonks were falling apart. No, they had already fallen apart. Worst of all, they had already fallen apart, and he had no idea if she would make it to the third trimester. He stared at the fire, not caring if the bright light hurt his eyes. _This Christmas, I just want to make it through these things._

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

"Ah, Remus, Tonks. Come in, come in!" Arthur greeted them on Christmas Eve.

As usual, the Burrow was done up lavishly with decorations. Paper chains covered the ceiling, the tree was weighed down with ornaments, and you could breath the glitter in the air. Tonks and Remus followed the Weasley father into the living room, where Molly pounced on them.

"Oh, my!!" she gasped when she moved to hug Tonks. "Tonks, dear, you've grown so much! How are you feeling?"

"Fine, actually," the Metamorphagus stated. "Where is everyone?"

"You're early-" came one voice.

"-but not _that_ early," another finished.

With a _POP!_, Fred and George appeared behind their mother, who appropriately jumped. She turned around and hit both of them up side the head. "Fred, George, stop that this instant!!"

"Never gets old, does it, Fred?" George asked his twin.

"Not one bit," Fred replied.

"George Weasley!!" _That_ bark belonged to Angelina Johnson, who came stampeding downstairs with Fred's fiancé, Verity. Angelina grabbed him by the ear. "I had been talking to you!!"

"Ouch, ouch, Ange," George whined.

Angelina and Verity turned to Remus and Tonks. "It's wonderful to see you, professor," Angelina said to Remus.

He gave a wan smile. "You're in perfect health, Miss Johnson," he commented, and she nodded while yanking on George's ear again.

"So you're four months along now?" Verity asked Tonks. "You look amazing, Tonks."

"Thank you," Dora beamed. "Um, if you don't mind, I need something to drink." She grabbed Remus and managed to pull them out of the cluster. The couple went and got some drinks and Tonks sat down by the fireplace. "This is always so pleasant," she commented.

"It is," Remus agreed.

"Oh!" Tonks winced.

"What is it?" Remus took her water from her and put their drinks down. "Does something hurt?"

She shook her head. "No, no… Here, give me your hand." Tonks took his hand anyway, and put it on her belly, under her ribcage. "Do you feel that? It's the baby kicking."

He did indeed feel a dull thump, but he had a hard time grinning like she did. Obviously some things would be different about this pregnancy since Remus was a werewolf. But should the baby really be kicking at only four months?

His thoughts were interrupted as Molly and Arthur met the latest arrivals. Remus and Tonks looked up with the others to see the Weasley parents enter the living room with Neville and Luna. Remus calmed himself and managed to not jump up at the sight of the reporter. He and Tonks waited until the fervor quieted, and then the younger couple came up to them.

Neville's eyes widened until they were the size of saucers. "I didn't know you were pregnant! Congratulations!"

Luna cocked her head to one side. "Are you feeling all right? Aren't you worried that it will be a werewolf?"

The dreaded question, as asked by Luna. Neville definitely looked uncomfortable, and Tonks shifted on the couch. Remus felt his limbs turn to stone. As much as he loved her, he had been afraid of that question for so long, and he felt he should have been the one to ask his wife. _Well, _he thought, _what's done is done, I s'pose._

"It would be wrong to say I'm not worried," Tonks slowly stated, carefully choosing her words. She smiled, though. "But I'm strong, and I'm ready for any fight my body enters."

"Courage is a good ally," Luna said. "I wish the best for you."

"As do I," Neville added.

Remus stood, excusing himself from the conversation. He left the living room, making it look like he was heading upstairs to the bathroom, but he instead ducked outside. The cool air chilled him, but he preferred it over the heat from discomfiting topics. Not only was the werewolf baby not something he liked to think about, but another thing crossed his mind:

He hadn't mentioned to Luna that Tonks was pregnant.

He supposed it was the one disadvantage from keeping their talks away from their personal lives. The wizard shook his head, though. After all, why should Luna care? _But she did kiss me,_ he recalled. Remus closed his eyes and sighed. This confusion was beginning to give him a migraine.

Footsteps crunched in the snow beside him, and Luna blinked dreamily. "Happy Christmas, Remus."

The were smiled. "Happy Christmas, Luna."

"So much for seeing each other after the holidays," she remarked. She leaned next to him against the house. "But I don't mind."

"I agree. I don't think I need a break from you," he said as some snowflakes drifted towards them. He stilled. "Were you really curious about the baby being a werewolf?"

"Yes. I've heard that you can't be born one, because the mother can't ever make it through the labor." An odd beat of silence. "So this is the stress at home from which you refrained mentioning."

He nodded. "I worry. It wasn't even supposed to happen." He stopped, his eyes widening at his admission. He hadn't even told Sirius the real story behind things, and here he was, letting it slip to the girl he loved. Remus mentally slapped himself. "I mean…"

"Though the truth hurts, telling it might make you feel better," Luna gently prodded. "I'm here with an ability to listen."

_Yes, but…_ Remus grimaced. Did he really need to bring this up right now? _Well, here goes…_ "I've never been in love with her," he whispered, afraid his voice might somehow carry past the house and across two rooms. "She… She tricked me one night, withholding the usual Contraceptive Charm." He glanced at Luna, who seemed unfazed at what he had just said, even though he felt odd telling her so. "The following week, she told me she was pregnant, and I think she had a reason for lying to me about that night."

"Why?" the witch prompted.

"I think she knows I don't love her the same way she loves me." There. It was said. The words had finally left his mouth, his mind, and when he heard them for himself, he was sure of it. Tonks _had_ to have known, otherwise this probably wouldn't have happened. "Anyway, now she's about four months along. I worry because I love her like a dear friend and I don't want to see her hurt. But, no, I'm not in love with her." He shivered, but not from the cold. Finally getting that out had relieved something in him, but… In a way, he was more uncomfortable than before.

"I understand why you look so strained now," Luna declared. "Well, that's only part of it, but it's a big part."

He nodded and looked at her. "Why aren't you shivering? It's freezing out here." He saw her hands looked rather white, with a possible bluish tinge. Without giving it much thought, he took her hand and held it close to him. "You're going to get frostbite."

"Frostbite is the least of my worries," Luna mumbled. She stared at the white expanse with him. "What do you wish for Christmas, Remus?"

Remus painfully, wistfully half-smiled. "I wish to be relieved of this hell. Not the simplest of wishes, but an earnest one."

"Oh, look. It's a winter elf," she stated, pointing in front of him.

He looked at her, and she had her eyes closed. "I take it I can only see it with my eyes closed?"

Her mysterious smile answered his inquiry. "Of course."

The werewolf closed his eyes. Darkness was all he saw, north, south, east, and west. After a second, he felt something in front of him. "Luna, I think I see-" He couldn't finish that sentence, for a gentle weight pressed against his lips. It was a very familiar feeling, one he _knew_ he had felt a few days ago. It was light at first, then demanded a little more from him. His heart rate flew off the scales as the kiss lasted, until eventually it ended. He kept his eyes closed a little longer before opening them. He turned and watched her open her eyes beside him.

"Did you see it?" she asked, completely calm.

"I think winter elves are very mischievous," he said, heading back inside.

"Why's that?" she asked.

He didn't answer, because he knew she was playing with him, but he did shoot her a teasing smile. Then he returned to the revels inside.

Outside, Luna waited a few beats before heading back in herself. _Maybe I _am_ a tad too mischievous,_ she thought as she slowly walked back to the front door. _But it's getting hard to resist him…and resist telling him_.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

By the time Luna rejoined Neville and the others, Remus had already plopped himself back down beside Tonks in front of the fireplace. Remus passed Tonks her water, and she steadily sipped at it.

"You were gone a while," Tonks said to him in undertones.

"I had a stomachache, but it went away," he lied. He looked at his wife out of the corner of his eye, watching her pink dull a bit. "Has anyone else arrived?"

She shook her head. "Not-" Her words were cut off by Molly and Arthur again, though the parents weren't as loud as they had been before. But they were still welcoming.

Remus stood just as Molly walked in with Severus Snape. "Severus," Remus said.

Snape suddenly looked very unsure of himself –or like he had a bad taste in his mouth. He frowned at the werewolf. "Lupin."

Nothing much could be done about the abrupt lack of merriment at Snape's arrival. Tonks was surprised, as were Neville, Luna, Angelina, and Verity, though Tonks, Luna, and Verity didn't seem to mind as much as the other two. The twins, of course, bristled at the sight of their old Potions master. However, Molly merely slapped on her cheery smile. "Now, now, children. Play nice."

That broke the ice. Fred and George snickered, and the rest of the party-goers lightened up, but Snape sneered and disappeared into the shadows after grabbing a drink.

Neville stepped towards Remus. "That's unexpected," the Herbology professor stated.

Remus nodded. "It's a nice gesture on their part, and I share their sentiments about him since he's another hero of the war, just like the rest of us here. But… I'm surprised he actually came."

"Especially since not everyone here is happy with his decision," Neville muttered, motioning towards Angelina, Fred, and George. "I'm sort of uncomfortable myself."

"Well, we can't all get along. If the world were perfect, it'd be too perfect and bound to be thrown into chaos again."

"Yeah…" Neville went over to Luna, and the two of them grabbed some treacle tarts to snack on.

Remus leaned against the couch in which Tonks was sitting. "What are your thoughts?"

"I don't mind as much as them," Dora answered. "I mean, Dumbledore did have a plan. I just wish we could have known about it so we could have been prepared for the grief that should have been short-lived. But I don't really blame Severus."

"Well, his loyalties had always been obscure," the D.A.D.A. teacher affirmed. "But Dumbledore trusted him then and trusts him now, even after the war. Dumbledore is a very mysterious man, but he is smart, too. I agree; I don't really blame Severus, either."

Tonks stood and stretched. "Is there chocolate cake out? Or any chocolate at all? I'm dying for some."

Remus took out a bar from his sweater pocket. "As always, I'm well-stocked," he joked, breaking off a bit and passing it to her. There was more noise, and Remus watched Harry enter the room with Hermione. "Ah, our Boy-Who-Lived is here with his fiancé. Oh, Merlin, they bumped into Snape."

"That's right!" Tonks finished off the chocolate and licked her fingers clean. "What do you think we should give them for a wedding present? I mean, we've got to start thinking about it early on, so we don't buy the same thing as everyone else."

"I don't know," Remus groused. "A magical blender?"

"Remus, that's horrible!"

He sighed just as Sirius walked up to them. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head at the sight of Tonks. "Bloody-! It's been three months, but you've grown, haven't you?"

Neither of them corrected him about the months. Tonks' hair returned to its Madam Puddifoot's pink, and she wrapped her arms around her bulging stomach. "If you ask me, I think we should be expecting twins," she said rather hopefully.

Remus paled at those words. They didn't know how one baby would turn out; she was thinking of _two_! He had to interject, "Look, we don't know that for sure-"

"He's just scared that they'll both end up like me," Tonks told Sirius. "I don't know why that should bother you," she said to Remus. "After all, you love me lots. I'm sure you can spare the twins a bit of that."

"It's not twins!!" Remus tried to assure himself. He really wanted to change the subject before his anxiety swallowed him.

"What's this about twins?" George asked from Remus' left.

"There's nothing wrong with twins," Fred commented from the werewolf's right.

The twins slung an arm around each other. "Just look how adorable us turned out!!" they said in unison.

A smile quirked Sirius' lips. "Look on the bright side, Mooney: They could spend way too much time with their Uncles Fred and George."

Remus felt all color drain from his face, and the others laughed at his expense. _It's not funny at all, _the werewolf thought. _Am I the only one not laughing?_ He eyes found Luna on their own, and she sent him a sympathetic smile. _Of course she's not laughing. She's the only one who knows the truth about this._

Sirius broke away from them when he saw Harry and Hermione –arguing? –with Snape. Padfoot said something himself to the black bat, and then Snape wandered around until Molly appeared with a camera in hand, raising quite a ruckus.

"Just one picture!!" Molly teased. "Come on, Severus! You, Remus, Sirius-! It'll be just like old days!!"

"Are you daft, woman?" Snape stated. "Why would I want to be in a picture with those two bumbling Marauders?"

Remus smiled, suppressing his laughter. "How about we make it a teacher photo? Neville and Charlie can be in it, too," he suggested.

"We're not _all_ that bad, Snivellus," Sirius commented, coming back. "I'll try not to bite," he added with a wolfish grin.

"You stay the bloody hell away from me, you mutt," Snape warned. The Potions teacher kept backing up, but Remus nodded to Sirius and the two of them caught the bat.

"That reminds me," Molly thought aloud. "Where is Charlie?"

"He'll be here," Arthur told his wife. "We can always take another picture later."

"I don't think I'm too keen on pictures," Neville piped up, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Maybe you should just take another with the four of you when Charlie gets here."

"They say that strange creatures live in the flashbulb of cameras," Luna quipped, appearing beside him.

Remus again fought down a laugh. That was so Luna of her, even the way her eyes burned a stronger, more piercing blue at the prospects of a story. His grin grew, though, with her at his side. "Yes, yes, Luna, dear, that may be the case," he said as he walked her out of the picture while Sirius held onto Snape; he thought it interesting that she didn't mind the small endearment slipped in there ever so discreetly. "But maybe you can enlighten us later with that theory."

Neville neared Luna, but she casually shied away from him and halted Remus a moment longer. "Or maybe you would prefer the theory about the winter elves?" she asked him in a low voice.

The werewolf blinked, the heat rising in his cheeks. "Maybe," he managed without stuttering. He returned for the photo, watching Sirius's eyes dart around him. Remus felt eyes on his back as he, Sirius, and Snape posed for the camera, and the brunette wizard had an idea of whose eyes they were. But he did not look back at Tonks.

"Say-" Molly began.

"-'Dungbombs!'" the twins interrupted.

Remus and Sirius smiled at the joke, but Snape sneered as the flash blinded them, and the picture popped into the room. Sirius caught it, and Remus looked over his best mate's shoulder. It had come out fairly well. In fact, he shot Luna a flirtatious look before stating, "I'm rather photogenic, aren't I?" Her smile betrayed the chuckle in her, and her shoulders shook slightly as she quietly giggled.

"Bloody 'ell!" Sirius exclaimed. "I look like I haven't got a neck! I'm chucking this shirt…"

"…Why am _I_ in this picture?" came Snape's complaint.

"We thought you'd be the next James, obviously, dear Snivellus," Sirius provoked.

"Look you little-" Snape glowered at Sirius, and he looked ready for a fight.

The last thing Remus needed was a fight between these two, so he stepped in between them. "Calm down, Severus. Sirius was only joking. Right, Sirius?"

Padfoot gave Mooney a wolfish grin, as well. "Absolutely, 'Mum'!"

The werewolf narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Watch it or I'll strangle you myself," he threatened through gritted teeth.

Snape walked away, muttering to himself, "Note to self: Strangle Dumbledore at beginning of new term for hiring these two nitwits."

Remus moved away, too, and found Luna talking with the twins and their fiancés. He came up behind the reporter.

"Most of the time we're nursing them back to health," Angelina griped, and Verity nodded beside her.

"We don't really have anyone to test on but each other," George stated.

"And it's not like we're going to kill ourselves," Fred added.

"What's the latest ailment you've given yourselves?" Remus asked.

"Divulging Danger-pods," they said in unison.

"Instead of divulging secrets," George began.

"Anyone who speaks your secrets will divulge the contents of their stomach," Fred finished.

"They're quite charming," the twins said together.

"Charming, eh…?" Remus looked down at Luna.

"Pardon us," Verity said. "We need to go congratulate Harry and Hermione. Angelina, get George." With that, the two women dragged their loves by the ears to visit Harry and Hermione, leaving Remus alone with Luna.

"Very charming," Luna stated. She was standing very close to him, and he wished she would lean her head on his shoulder, like she had before. Remus looked up and locked eyes with Sirius. Those gray eyes were questioning, probably accusatory. He definitely had a whiff off what was going on, but all Remus did was lower his eyes to Luna. So, the secret was partially out. Sirius looked like he was ready to march over and berate Remus, but the rest of the party showed up then: Charlie and his girlfriend, Laurel Windmere. Remus was glad for the distraction.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Dinner was fulfilling and tasty, and the party soon came to a close. When it was time to leave, Molly and Arthur stood at the door with Charlie and Laurel, thanking everyone for coming. Snape left first, making haste to escape the others. Neville accepted a bear hug from Molly, and Tonks got the same and followed Neville outside. Luna left next, Remus close behind.

Outside, Luna parted with him. "I hope you manage to have a happy Christmas, Remus."

"It's happy now, Luna." He resisted kissing her, hugging her, or even squeezing her hand in goodbye; it was hard, but he gave her a small smile. "Happy Christmas, love."

Okay, _that_ was kind of a slip-up, kind of on purpose. But Luna didn't mind at all. In fact, her cheeks gained a very rosy glow, and her smile hit him straight in the heart. "Happy Christmas, Remus."

He watched her catch up to Neville and Tonks, who were far up ahead. And then his arm was pinched. He winced in pain and glared at Sirius, who had just come up behind him. "Most likely, it's not what _you're_ thinking," Remus said.

Sirius twitched in irritation. "_And just what is it that I'm thinking?!_" he hissed in a low voice so just Mooney heard him. "What was with you and Luna?! _What the hell are you thinking, Lupin?!!_"

Remus didn't immediately answer him; this proved that Sirius knew something was up. "Look," the werewolf sighed, "I'll talk to you when we get back to the castle. I don't have anything else to say, Sirius."

"Like bloody hell you don't-!!" Padfoot gripped Remus's shoulder in an obvious sign that he was going to turn the werewolf around and punch him, but his last sentence had not been that quiet. The others both ahead and behind them stopped and mulled around, wondering what the commotion was. Sirius looked around, not receptive to all that attention. He released Remus and stomped ahead, fuming.

Suddenly, Remus's mood darkened, hampered by Sirius's anger. _Justified anger,_ he noted, since Sirius was Tonks' cousin. The brunette wizard caught up with his wife, whose hair had returned to a mousy brown. Remus didn't say anything, and the night was quiet even when they got home.

As he drew the blanket up over his shoulders, he thought again of his Christmas wish. _Holidays aren't supposed to go wrong, _Remus reminded himself. _So why do I feel like I screwed everything up?_

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Well, to those of you reading this is kind of a gift for you: sixteen pages of tsubaki goodness, dressed up in romance and tied off with angst. *sigh* I loved this chappie, and the next few will definitely be amazing. Dear audience, you have my word on that.**

**Let's continue to watch things crumble then, shall we? And REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**


	10. 10th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Tenth Wax**

Remus wasn't stupid, she knew that much. But Luna was sure he was beginning to see the whole picture now. That, and she had been quite bold.

The reporter returned with Neville to Augusta's house. Neville kissed her forehead before heading into his bedroom, and Luna went straight to the guest room.

Her cheeks burned like they never had before. She meant to change, but her legs felt a little wobbly, so she instead sat down at the vanity. Luna looked into the mirror; cherry red cheeks did _not_ go well with her vibrant, pale cerulean eyes. She closed her eyes thinking back on tonight's kiss.

She still couldn't believe she had done that! After all, his taking her hand could have been purely platonic…but she had seen it as an opportunity. He had _definitely_ enjoyed the kiss, even when it had gained a little more passion. And then, afterwards, for the rest of the night, the chemistry between them had sizzled. It was so hard to not whisk him away for herself. She had been wondering if he had felt the same way, and then… Then he had said, "Happy Christmas, love."

Luna stood and put on her pajamas then. Her cheeks had faded into a healthy bubblegum pink, a color she thought went very nicely with her wheat-blonde hair and ice blue eyes. _And his brown hair, eyes, and wardrobe,_ she thought as she laid her head on her pillow. She was a bit giddy from the excitement of things, and her mind buzzed with many jumbled thoughts. _Or just some wrackspurts._

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Christmas morning was a sight to behold. Outside, a thick blanket of snow covered the houses and streets, and hundreds of snowmen, women, and children popped up. Families kept the cold out with their fireplaces running and comforters pulled up over their heads.

In the Lupin household, it was still, and yes, one could probably hear that stupid mouse scurrying about. But 'Santa' had already been by, so when Remus and Tonks awoke and trudged groggily into the living room, many gifts were under the tree. Tonks happily sat down in the recliner, and Remus sat on the floor by the tree. He passed the first present to her. "From your mother," he said.

Tonks unraveled the package and cooed appreciatively. "Oh, it's beautiful. Take a look, dear." She unfolded a baby blanket that was green, with beautiful lattice work sewn all over it in various animal shapes.

"Andromeda did a spectacular job," Remus commented.

"Well, she is a mother. Maybe I should try my hand at sewing…"

He raised his eyebrows. "Urm, Dora, you have a hard time not walking into things. Are you sure sewing's a good idea?"

"Oh, shut up," she said, but she smiled. "This was my baby blanket. It was my mother's before then. It's the one of the few things from the Black family that she cherishes." She trailed off, her eyes glistening at the thought of all her childhood memories.

"Dora…" Remus passed her another gift. "Uh-oh. This one's from Fred and George. Maybe we shouldn't open this…"

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

"Okay, I've had my fill of candy canes," Tonks said later that evening. "Time to pay a visit to Mum and Dad."

"Right." Remus stood and helped his wife out of the chair. "You go get dressed while I clean up here."

"Oh, all right…" She waddled off to their bedroom, muttering something about having to wear "the jacket from Molly and Arthur, the only thing big enough for my water balloon right now".

The werewolf stretched and kicked at all the paper on the floor. He took out his wand and burned all the wrappings away, leaving the gifts under the tree or on the couch, like the clothes that had to be folded before they were stored away. He had just stuck a rocking hippogriff from Hagrid and Maxine back under the tree when he spotted a small package they had missed. Remus took it out and unwrapped it –and understood why he had missed it before.

The gift was a pair of Spectrespecs. He had seen some before, but these were different from the others. In a way, they seemed customized for him, since they were a toned-down navy with shiny black lenses. He uncrossed the legs, pulling out a folded note:

_Dear Remus,_

_Spectrespecs help you see the wrackspurts fuzzing one's brain. Even if you don't believe me about them, they can still show you whose minds fuzz just around you. Give them a try._

_Don't stress out too much on Christmas Day,_

_Luna_

The L she flourished her name with was flourished all right, but…it seemed a little shaky, as if she had wanted to right another L-word before signing the note. There was even a blotch of ink near it, showing a possible moment's hesitation. Remus wondered. _I think Luna's much more than a tease,_ he thought, thinking of those kisses –both instances in which _she_ had kissed _him_.

He heard Tonks coming back, so he stuffed the gift and note into his sweater pocket. Suddenly, he was really glad his sweater had really big pockets. That, and he always wore it.

The Metamorphagus reentered the living room in a lovely magenta dress. She plucked the Weasleys' jacket from the couch and pulled it on, and then she looked at Remus. "Come on, then. We've got to get going, and you're still in your pajamas."

"Hmm? Oh, right." He went back to their room, grabbed a clean shirt and pair of slacks, and dressed. He eyed his old sweater and waved his wand. It was suddenly pressed and clean, looking a whole hell of a lot more presentable than it had a second ago. The wizard returned to his wife, grabbed his robe, and they stepped out the door.

They Apparated a little bit away from her parents' house, since the Tonkses always kept up the barrier Dumbledore had set up for them years ago. It was a brisk walk from their landing point to the front door, and they soon were rapping the door with the knocker.

The door swung open, and Ted greeted them. "Nymphadora! Remus! How good to see you!" He turned around, waving them to follow. "Come straight to the dining room. 'Dromeda finished the goose a few minutes ago."

And he was right. The dining room table was laden with a plentitude of foods, of which the goose Andromeda was just placing in the middle when then entered. She put it down, wiped her hands, and went open-armed to her daughter. "Nymphadora!!"

Tonks hugged her mother as fiercely as she could with her pregnant belly in the way. "Hi, Mum! Merlin, it smells wonderful in here!"

"Tastes wonderful, too," Ted complimented, sticking his finger in the roast pumpkin and licking it off.

Andromeda gasped. "Ah! How many times have I told you not to do that?!" She took off her apron and hit his arm with it, causing Tonks and Remus to laugh.

"Sorry, dear…"

They sat down and enjoyed the meal. Remus found it was as varied as any meal at Hogwarts, but this food had been cooked with familial love, and thus tasted much better. As the meal came to a close, Andromeda started ferreting dirty dishes into the kitchen, while Ted poured a drink for himself and Remus, and Tonks spooned a plum pudding into her mouth.

"Have you started setting up the baby's room yet?" the father asked after a small sip of brandy.

"No," Remus answered, while Tonks shook her head, spoon swinging in her mouth. "We haven't had much time. Dora needs to take it easy, but I've been busy with teaching. It's going to get busier when I return, too, because the studies will become more exam-specific, and then there are the finals, O.W.L.s, and N.E.W.T.s a few months after."

"You have to make the time," Ted scolded, raising his eyebrows. "A child comes into the world, whether or not you are ready. I suggest that you be ready, because once that child is here, then there sure as hell won't be any time to do what you could be doing now."

"What about tomorrow?" Tonks interjected. "You have off the next two days, actually, as I recall, Dad."

"One of those days you promised to me, Ted!" Andromeda yelled from the kitchen.

Ted winced. "As I did."

"Well, the other day we could take and you could both help us start picking some things for the baby room," Tonks suggested, pushing aside the empty pudding cup. "We have things for the baby, but not really things for the room."

"That sounds like an excellent idea!" her father exclaimed.

"I can't," Remus said, and he shook his head. "I brought home some tests and essays I _have_ to grade. I'll need a day to get them done."

Tonks's face fell, enough so her dad noticed and more than Remus thought Ted could. "Oh. Well, then… I'll go for both of us." She looked at both of her parents, Andromeda just coming in. "How about tomorrow?"

Andromeda smiled at her daughter. "That's fine, dear." She gave Remus a sad smile. "It's a shame you can't do this over the holiday break with us, though."

"I'll try for the next holiday," Remus promised. "No homework, whatsoever."

There was mumble agreement on that, and it was then time to go. Andromeda and Ted walked Tonks and Remus to the door, hugs and handshakes all around.

"Thank you again for the baby blanket, Mum," Tonks said. "It brought tears to my eyes."

"Oh, I know what you mean, darling," Andromeda stated, hugging her daughter again.

"Yes, she was on the verge of bawling," Remus said to Ted, who chuckled and nodded, knowing that trait had been passed through the mother. "Happy Christmas, Andromeda, Ted." He and Tonks stepped over the threshold and waved once more to her parents.

"Happy Christmas!" Andromeda called after them. "Happy Christmas, dears!!"

When they stepped out of the No-Apparation barrier, they popped back home. It had been a quiet evening. One that deserved rest.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

"Thank you, Gran, for the new hat and scarf," Neville stated that same Christmas night.

"Well, you know I love you, Neville," Augusta said. She raised the bottle with a bow in her hand. "I love you and the steady supply of firewhiskey you keep me in each Christmas." She stood, and started upstairs to her room. "Good night to all, and to all a Happy Christmas!!" she shouted.

"How much of that was left in the bottle?" Luna asked Neville.

He shook his head. "I dunno. But if you ask me," he said with a laugh, "I think I should introduce her to Professor Trelawney. They'd probably be excellent drinking partners."

Luna's smile was like his, laughing at that kind of merry-making. She sipped at her eggnog. "I like the hair cage you carved me, Neville. Thank you."

The Herbology teacher bashfully shook his head. "It was fun, actually. I carved it from some dead wood I found, so I wasn't hurting any creatures. 'Sides," he added in a small voice, "it's for you, Luna. I'd do anything for you."

She smiled at him, but her stomach sent a warning signal to her brain. _I like Neville, but… He's such a little boy when it comes to romance. He-_ Her train of thought derailed when he brushed some hair out of her face and kissed her on the lips. It wasn't any different from the kisses they had shared before, but it had surprised her. When he pulled back, he didn't smile. He looked like he was focused on something else.

And that made her a wee bit nervous.

"Neville…," she began.

He cut her off again with another kiss, this time unlike what she had been used to before from him. It wasn't just a sweet, childish kiss. It was closer to an adult kiss –not that they hadn't made out before, but that was usually as far as they ever got. And he had never reached this level of fervor, of passion, before.

Though that feeling in her stomach buzzed, telling her this was not just another make-out session, she was a little helpless against natural human carnal desire and Neville's arms pulling her closer to him. She felt the couch's armrest at her back, and only then did she notice he was quite practically on top of her. Her senses partially returned to her, and she pushed on his chest whiled breaking her lips away from his. "Neville, please-"

Another kiss, and he started undoing the buttons on his shirt. Her fingers brushed his chest and he held her hands there, wanting her to touch him. He nuzzled her neck, and only then did she finally get the break she was looking for.

"Neville, stop!"

He did, and backed off. Neville's expression was clearly apologetic as he sat down and she brushed her hair out of her face. "I-I'm sorry, Luna. I don't know what came over me. I just really wanted to kiss you and then-" He stopped and looked her in the eye. "-I just really wanted you."

Some of the color that had left her cheeks once he had moved off her returned at his admission. "Neville, that's-"

"So you don't want this then?" he asked quietly.

"Neville?"

He clasped his hands together and leaned forward, facing the coffee table, elbows on knees. "We've taken it slow for over two years. Still you don't want to do anything?"

Even Luna reddened at the implication of sex, but she understood where he was coming from. And she didn't. He had been the one taking things slowly. _Now_ he suddenly wanted everything and anything from her?

"I thought tonight would be perfect," he mumbled. "The best gift ever: Being with each other, fully. I thought the kissing-"

"I don't want to kiss _you_!" That did it. The buzzing in her stomach stopped, now that it had forced her to admit that feeling. Now her stomach sank at the pain in his eyes, which she could see even though his profile was facing her. But the pain masked some of the anger –possibly fury –at what she had just said.

He was as angry as he had ever been, but Luna had seen something similar to this before: Once, back in her fourth year when Harry, Hermione, and Ron began the D.A. Neville had been trying his best, but when news reached them that Bellatrix Lestrange had escaped Azkaban, his determination gave way to anger and revengeful thinking, and a pure loathing filled his eyes whenever he stared at that newspaper clipping on the mirror. Only later did she find out why, that Bellatrix had been the one who had tortured his parents to insanity.

That pure loathing? It ran a distant second to the anger she saw in him now. But she knew he wasn't angry at her. "Neville…?" she asked tentatively.

Neville stood and buttoned part of his shirt back up, the fury still there in his eyes; he looked like he had a headache. "I'm sorry, Luna," he said in a low voice, and he patted her shoulder as he exited the sitting room and went to his bedroom.

Now alone, Luna shuddered, still not releasing her arms around herself. That had been scary, but then patching it up had not gone quite right. She frowned, feeling that –_knowing_ that it was her fault. _I should have said something before the school year began, _she rebuked herself for. _I should have said something before the holidays, this happy time, came up._

_I should have said something before it became only Remus whom I wanted touching me._

Guiltily, she arose and quietly padded to the guest room down the hall. She closed the door behind her and flicked on the light. Her messenger bag hung off the back of the vanity's chair, and she rummaged through it to get out paper and a quill to catch up on the holiday _Quibbler_'s articles. But there was something in her bag that had not been there before.

The witch pulled it out and placed it on the vanity. It was a box wrapped in brown- and lilac-striped paper. There was no bow or anything on the outside, so she opened up the package.

Inside was a dark blue box. When she shook it, it rattled, so she put it back down and lifted off the lid to reveal a silver bracelet with tiny charms on it. Lavender bicone beads hung in between the silver charms, and there were exactly ten charms: five crescent moons alternating with five five-pointed stars. A note was written inside the lid:

_Dear Luna,_

_I don't know what your Christmas wish is, but remember mine? To get through this hell? Part of that hell is the anxiety that very nearly gives me ulcers when I worry about you gallivanting in the Forbidden Forest. This bracelet has two Charms on it: one that changes the beads a dark red to warn you of danger and a Shield Charm I added to protect you when you __do__ get into danger._

_Take care of yourself._

_-Remus_

She felt a laugh bubble up in her throat, but she couldn't release it. It was drowned out by small sobs. She was thankful for his gift, but she wish she had unwrapped it before tonight. Maybe then she would've had some of his protection when she had needed it the most.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Not much to say. I think the chappie is pretty self-explanatory. But things will take a turn in about two chapters, so please stay with me, folks, and REVIEW!!!!! I need it, Remus needs it, Luna needs it –you get the point.**

**Happy Christmas in July,**

**-mew-tsubaki**

**P.S. –I forgot to mention at the end of 9 that 9 coincides with chapters 13 of ****To the Future**** and 16 of ****From the Past****, this story's companion stories. Please read and review them when you get the chance. Thank you!**


	11. 11th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Eleventh Wax**

Somehow Remus managed to make it through the rest of the break without seeing any more disappointment wrinkle Tonks's face. It seemed like the break would never be over, but then Remus was packing his things back up and hugging Tonks goodbye.

"I'll keep you informed about the baby," Tonks said, "but you need to stay in touch, too." She patted his cheek and kissed him. "See you, Remus."

He nodded and hugged her once more before stepping outside. But as soon as the door closed behind him, he half-frowned. _Interesting, _he considered, _how different those words sound coming from Dora._ The wizard shook it off, though, as he poofed back to Hogwarts.

And so he began the long walk up to the school, and the rest of the teachers and students returned for the traipse or the journey via Floo Network in the next few days. It was finally January, a new month, and a new year.

With new problems, but of course.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

January was a busy time, with everyone focusing on exams. Even the teachers were focused on stricter regiments in order to prepare the students for O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. The stress was building, and tensions were mounting.

Remus wished Luna would drop by soon. It was the last week in January, and he had seen hide nor hair of the lovely curiosity. Considering what awaited her in the forest and that she seemed to believe in her sort-of immortality, he couldn't help but fret.

Where was she?

He was damn near tempted to ask Neville if the boy had seen the witch, but he obviously refrained. Something occurred to him in all his solitude: Had Luna shied away from Neville at the Weasleys' party simply because she was –Remus admitted –flirting with Remus? Or was it something more? And was that why he hadn't seen her?

The wizard heaved a melancholy sigh on the first day of February. It had snowed again the night before, so a fresh blanket of flakes covered the ground. They crunched under his shoes as he walked to the bridge. His robes swayed in the soft breeze that caressed him, but he merely shivered at Mother Nature's touch.

There was only one touch he wanted now.

Remus leaned with his hands on the railing. He exhaled, his breath coming out in a few cloud-like puffs. "I thought I knew torture," he muttered to himself.

"Hello, Remus."

He blinked. Was he hearing things now?

"You're perfectly sane," Luna said, closing the gap between them in several strides. "I'm not a figment of the imagination."

She looked to be in perfect health, dressed in jeans, neon blue boot leather boots, and a thick mahogany coat. Her hair was down today, the first time he had seen it as such, but he liked it. "Who's next after your kappa friends?" he asked with a teasing smirk.

Luna stood next to him, her eyes sliding a look at him. "Maybe those mischievous, mysterious winter elves."

His cheeks flushed and he frowned at her. _Tease, _he thought, but he didn't say it aloud. "Thanks for the Spectrespecs, by the way," he said, changing the subject.

Her familiar smile graced her features, and he felt like things were back to normal. "Of course, Remus. Actually…" She held up her left wrist, and rosy color filled her cheeks. "I love the bracelet. Thank you, Remus."

"It hasn't turned red yet, has it?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No," she said, shaking her head. She laughed. "You really are a worrywart."

"I seem to get that a lot." There was an uncomfortable silence that followed, but he couldn't break it. He wondered where she had been all this time.

"Father left on a trip last-minute right before the break," she said, looking out at the mountainous expanse. Her bright eyes were as blue as ever. "He left the holiday edition of the paper in my hands, and I scrambled to get the issue out on New Year's Day." She tucked her chin in and glanced at him. "Since then, I've been catching up on my other articles. It's been a busy time."

He blinked. He needed to be better about displaying his questions on his face, especially around her…

"Have you worn the Spectrespecs yet?" she asked.

"No, I haven't," he admitted. "What did you mean, though, saying it will show me a person whose mind fuzzes around me?"

She cocked her head to the side, a quirky smile playing at her lips. "Now, now, Remus. Answers can't just be handed out willy-nilly. You must work at it yourself first."

He lifted an eyebrow. "I'll keep that in mind." Remus looked around him, wishing that the expanse around them was as free as it seemed. He expressed that wish to Luna.

"It's like I told you before," she reminded him. "It's in your perception of things, Mr. Lupin. If you want to do something, do it. If you want to be free, be free."

"If I feel something, I feel it." He dropped his head, and he looked at the wooden boards supporting them. _I love you, _he wanted to say, but a lump blocked that confession, so he instead confessed another truth. "I feel boxed in, Miss Lovegood."

Luna didn't smile then, and she looked at him with concern in _her_ eyes, though he wasn't looking up at her. Could he really be feeling trapped in the weight of his personal life? She hated that he felt that way, and she wished she could do something for him –anything –while at the same time hoping she was not trapping him as well. She reached out and covered his hand with hers. "Everything may work out for the best," she offered, but she sincerely meant it.

He saw that sincerity in her eyes, and found some solace in it. Remus turned back to her, looking into the distance with her, but closer to her now. "Maybe it will." The wizard slid his eyes to steal another glance at the witch, amused that he met her sideways gaze, too, but neither of them mentioned it –nor did they flinch away. "Maybe it will," he repeated.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Though it was one small visit, Remus appreciated it greatly. But he wondered how much longer he could hold out before he broke his self-restraint and made his own move on her. Or worse:

He told her he loved her.

Remus pushed that thought to the back of his mind the following week, and the werewolf unleashed a baby banshee on his class of second years. They screamed, of course, and it was amazing that they managed to drown out the banshee's cry.

"Silence!! _Quiet down!!!_" The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor deeply inhaled. "_SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!_" he boomed.

The class miraculously quieted down. The few that had hopped their seats sat down, and the banshee even hovered in awe beside him, not struggling against his grasp. He had their attention once more.

"Banshees aren't that bad when you learn to handle them," Remus said. "In fact, banshees are easier to deal with than boggarts, which you'll handle next year. But-" He paused, feeling like he was being watched, and by someone other than the students. He looked up, not expecting Luna for once. Begrudgingly, he made contact with Sirius's gray eyes. "-you can't just vanquish baby banshees," he finished. He stuffed the creature back into its cage. "Please open to chapter twenty-seven and quietly read until I get back. If you finish, do the questions at the end of the chapter. Those questions are homework, regardless," he added with a wave of his index finger. He steadily made his way to the door and closed it behind him.

When the two D.A.D.A. teachers were alone in the hall, Sirius squinted at his best friend. "We _could_ talk out here, but who knows who'd hear?" he fumed.

Remus fought back an exasperated sigh, and stuck his hands in his pockets instead. That temper was very Sirius.

"My office. Now."

The werewolf followed the black-haired Animagus upstairs to Sirius's office. The ghost of the Bloody Baron drifted by them, but, other than him, they met no one along the way. Remus entered the office first, and Sirius followed. The shorter closed the door behind them, and then Padfoot wheeled on him, fury radiating off him in waves.

"You said you'd tell me back at the castle. Well, we're in the bloody fucking castle."

Remus sighed and sat down in one of the two chairs in front of Sirius's desk, while Sirius dropped himself down in the other and faced the werewolf. "You seem to be ready and willing to rip my throat out," Remus dryly stated.

"That's because of what it looks like, you git! Didn't you see how Tonks and Neville were beside themselves in _anguish_?!" His next sentence was deflated, as if Sirius was almost ready to give up arguing with anyone anymore. "Remus, Tonks is your _wife_. Doesn't she mean anything to you?"

_Trust me, I've pondered that question a trillion times, _Remus thought. He leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together to hide his face. "I love her, Sirius, don't get me wrong. But I've never been _in_ love with Nymphadora."

Sirius was quiet for a moment. "Then why did you marry her?"

Remus almost shook his head, but, no, he knew why. "At the time, her feelings for me were infectious, and I thought maybe I could release myself and fall in love with her. But it never happened." He knew it to be true. "I love her like a dear friend, but nothing more."

"But…why is she pregnant then? You both know magic; it couldn't have just been an accident." He could hear the reprimanding incredulity in Sirius's tone.

"Yes, I know." The werewolf lifted his head, but kept his folded hands in front of his mouth. "I suspect she knew all along that this was one-sided, and she hoped that maybe getting pregnant could keep us together. Always –_always_ –one of us would work the Charms to prevent something like this from happening. On a night more than three months ago, she told me she had already set them in place. Even though something in her voice caught, I trusted her word, and now I know she lied to me and that she's expecting." It was different telling Padfoot the story than sharing the story with Luna, because it didn't feel as strange sharing the details. _Probably because Sirius and I are the same age, as opposed to more-than-twenty-years-younger, darling Luna,_ he guiltily thought. He paused. _And Sirius knows Tonks better, as well._

But Sirius was like Luna in that he softened after that information. "So where does Luna come into all of this?"

Remus drew in a sharp breath, feeling the heat in his cheeks rising. So, they had already jumped to Luna. "Dora told me she was pregnant right before Albus approached you and me with our current positions. The following week –before that kind of party at the Burrow before Ginny started her last year –I went to Diagon Alley to stock up on some supplies. I bumped into Neville and Luna on the way, and the three of us shopped together for a bit. Neville had many things to buy, so that left Luna and me standing in the background. We talked about many different things, but we didn't ask about each other's lives." He paused and gazed out the window, reminiscing on that earlier time. "I had never felt so comfortable in my life.

"When I parted from those two that evening, I…felt something. I didn't know what it was, how to describe it, or what it was doing to me. So, I brushed it off." Remus smirked. "How Sirius of me."

"Har, har," Sirius groused.

Remus looked back to his best mate. "I've had several more occasions to talk to her when she's come to work on a story for the _Quibbler_, and we've grown very comfortable in each other's presence. Unfortunately…," he continued, recalling one bad incident they were quickly approaching on the timeline, "I finally came to realize at the end of October that I was feeling myself fall for her."

Sirius shrugged and half-heartedly smiled. "Well, mate, bad timing, but she's obviously something to have gotten _your_ tail wagging."

The werewolf deepened into crimson, and glared at the wizard.

"Sorry. I meant, 'to have gotten your heart thumping' –or some other organ doing the same. OW! Don't hit me!" he whined when Remus had thumped him Molly Weasley-style upside the head, but he genuinely smiled this time. "It's good you've found your heart, though, Remus."

"Yes, but remember when I said, 'unfortunately'?" The brunette wizard averted his gaze. "The night everyone was busy leaving Hogwarts for Christmas vacation, she had come by to pick up Neville. He was taking too long, so she came to find me. I had my things and I was walking her back downstairs when the staircase moved. She wobbled and fell forward, but the stairs hadn't realigned yet, so if she had truly fallen, she would've been seriously injured or killed."

"But I take it," Sirius interrupted with a wince, "that you're the reason she was safe."

Remus cleared his throat, still red, remembering not only what happened that night, but what had also occurred at the Weasleys' party outside the house. "Uh, exactly… I dropped my bag and dove for her. The stairs had realigned by the time my back had smashed into the bottom step, and we had clonked foreheads…"

"Oh, Merlin's beard. _You __kissed__ her?!_"

At that point, Remus was utterly bashful, because he was innocent in that case; yes, they had kissed, but that was Luna's lead there. _And _in the instance at the Weasleys' he was innocent. Maybe not so much with the presents, or the flirting he had done on the bridge, but… "It was an accident, I swear it!! I hadn't meant for it to happen! But, I quickly sobered up and went to move when she just held on tighter to me. Of course, then I heard someone step behind us, and there was Neville. I don't know if he saw us kiss, but it was awkward enough with her on top of me. She didn't look at my face as Neville helped her up and she told him I had saved her. Neville wished me a 'Happy Christmas', and then they left." Remus held his head in his hand, shoulders hunched, and sighed. "I hadn't meant for any of this to turn out the way it has. I hadn't even meant to develop feelings for her! Friends, okay; anything more… Merlin…"

His best mate was quiet, and Remus looked up to find Sirius has pursed his lips. "Remus," he began, "I've been reading a lot of books lately…"

"That's new."

"Shut up. Besides, I think I have something you might want to hear."

The were brightened at the prospect. Maybe this was light at the end of the tunnel? "What?" he urged.

"There's this old French proverb that goes, 'Love is friendship set on fire.'"

Remus's heart jumped into his throat, but he didn't want to admit to Sirius that that described the werewolf and Luna _exactly, __perfectly__._ So instead, he did the next best thing and broke out his wand. "_Silencio!_" Remus stood and glowered at his best mate as Sirius fumbled with the spell. "Do you take _anything_ seriously?!"

"Ha! You wouldn't know just how much of your story I can empathize with!!" Sirius stated. "I'm not as dumb as a troll, you git."

Btu Remus ignored his last comment and narrowed his eyes at the Animagus. "How can _you_ empathize? You're not involved with anyone; you've been busy." Although, as he said it, he dwelled on his words. He hadn't spent much time with Sirius lately, so there _was_ that possibility…wasn't there?

Sirius dodged the question. "Don't you have a class to return to?"

The brunette wizard felt like he had been hit with a Confundus Charm. He went to run to the door, but Padfoot grabbed his shoulder, much like he had done when they had left the Burrow on Christmas Eve, and Remus feared what Sirius would do next. _Agh!_ he internally screamed. _Don't punch me _now_!_

Amazingly, Sirius didn't. "Who knows?" he thought aloud. "Everything may work out for the best."

Remus was surprised, and a little spooked, to hear Luna's exact words come out of Sirius's mouth. Despite that, he grinned. "Maybe…" he agreed, as he had with Luna. He parted from his best mate, but when he reached the door, he turned around as he paused over the threshold. "Don't go spilling my life's story now!" he called back with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, don't worry!" the other D.A.D.A. teacher assured him. "I'm only going to tell G-Peeves!!"

The were left, although he was skeptical at Sirius's little stutter. He ignored it, though, and returned to his class. The class ended easily enough, but Remus had one thing in mind: If he wanted to do something, he knew he should do it. _Everything may work out for the best, but maybe I should take things into my own hands to get them there first._

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe the moment is here!!!! Okay, okay… *inhales deeply* Things have finally reached the point in the stories that I like to write best, so you HAVE TO READ AND REVIEW CHAPTER 12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Which, by the way, begins the new arc, dubbed 'harvests'. Please look forward to it, and in the mean time, REVIEW!!!!!!! Oh, and you can take a look at ****In the Present****'s companion stories, too.**

**I WON'T DISAPPOINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki :)**


	12. 1st Harvest 12th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The First Harvest (& the Twelfth Wax)**

Friday morning was a tired one for Remus. He was beginning to think he gave too many quizzes and tests, for he had stayed up most of last night grading them. Worst of all, it was tedious, nearly mindless work.

He placed a bit of hotcake in his mouth and chewed, but he slowed when he felt like eyes were on him again, much like earlier in the week. Remus looked up in time to see Sirius leave the Great Hall with Neville behind him.

His stomach sank. Sirius wouldn't tell on him, would he? Yes, Sirius was his best friend –he, Sirius, and James had been like brothers –but Sirius also had a strong sense of right and wrong, and Remus hoped he was maybe just talking with Neville about anything but Luna. He _prayed_ it was anything but Luna.

Remus's appetite left him, and he excused himself from the faculty table. _It could've been Neville saying something to Sirius,_ he told himself. He froze outside his office, rooted to the spot by one fear:

_It could've been Neville saying something to Sirius about Luna at the party because he, too, noticed._

His shoulders slumped a bit as he crashed on his bed through the door behind his desk. It was looking to be a tired day.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

"Where are you going today?" Remus asked Sirius the following weekend.

"It happens to be Valentine's Day, Mooney," Sirius pointed out, fixing his hair. "And you might know that if you had come to yesterday's Quidditch game instead of keeping your nose in a book. Gryffindor kicked Slytherin's arse, you should be glad to know. Our very own Ginny Weasley's back on the team as Chaser."

"First, my idea of a good time greatly differs from yours, and I choose to read instead of wasting my time watching sports. Second, hooray for Gryffindor –no, I really mean that; I was a Gryffindor, too, you git. Third, I'm sure Minerva must be upset that Ginny isn't captain, but it's good Ginny's back on the team. And fourth," he said, taking a breath, "'Our very own Ginny Weasley's back on the team as Chaser.'" He found the book on Sirius's shelf he was looking for. "There it is! You're not borrowing my books ever again, you dolt. Anyway…" He faced Sirius. "'Our very own Ginny'," he repeated. He raised his eyebrows. "'_Our_ very own Ginny'?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, but turned away from Remus, rummaging through one of his desk's drawers. "What? She may have wanted me dead before this school year, but she's definitely cooled down some. And I don't hate her; I never disliked her either. Besides, I played Chaser once, remember? So she's 'our very own Ginny'." He found whatever he had been searching for and pocketed it. "Okay, I'm ready."

Remus scrutinized him. "Jeans and a brown jacket. Looks like a real date," he joked, snickering.

"Yeah, yeah. Bugger off, you bookworm." Sirius left his office, muttering to himself about hurrying. "Later, Mooney."

The werewolf nodded and left his friend's office, pulling the door closed behind him. He returned to his room and replaced the borrowed book with his other tomes, and then he felt pulled to the window. He looked outside. Valentine's Day only made him more nervous and giddy and excited about what he knew he would soon do.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

_Oh, nargle-dicks, _Luna cursed to herself that day. Sure, her articles were fine. Sure, her dad, Xenophilius, was back from Croatia on his _Quibbler-_related trip. But today was supposed to be the most romantic day of the year, though of course the Lovegood had her doubts. After all, Saint Valentine was at the heart of a conspiracy, didn't you know?

She braided and unbraided her long blonde hair several times, wishing something could be done about the situation. But until she was bold enough to tell Remus how she felt and also gently end it with Neville, no day was going to be at its most romantic.

_I can't go to Hogwarts today,_ she told herself as she flopped on her bed, arm crossed, wrists lying on her forehead. She stared at the ceiling. _As much as I would like to see Remus even in passing, even from afar, I don't want to see Neville on a day like this. After what happened on Christmas, I _know_ this would send Neville the wrong message. Although…_

The witch turned on her side, a sudden chill causing her to bring up a blanket to her chin. _I did tell him that I don't want to kiss him. It's a hard message to misinterpret. … But I don't want to risk him thinking I've come to make-up,_ she finally decided, and with that stand, she drifted off for a tiny catnap.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Remus had fallen asleep, as well. He woke up later, with a jolt when his book fell off his chest and hit the floor with a very loud, resounding _**thud**_.

_What time is it…? _He looked at his watch and saw it was broken. "Oh, shit…"

He looked out the window and guessed it was about lunch time. In response, his stomach growled, confirming his suspicions. The teacher left his room as headed to the Great Hall for a brief lunch when he thought he saw Sirius run past him. Remus whirled around, but all he saw were the tails of a brown jacket round the corner.

Remus rubbed his eyes, and the corridor looked a bit sharper. _It must've been a student, then…_

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

The snow was almost completely gone by the middle of February's last week, and Fate had the good nature to give everyone a release with a beautiful, dry Saturday. Even the ground was dry again.

Unfortunately, a lot of the kids were out when Luna found Remus and beckoned to him for one of their walks. He slipped out of his office and joined her in the corridor. "Are you sure today's a good day for us to be out?"

"Are you jesting?" she chuckled. "It's beautiful outside, Remus. It's actually quite warm outside today, though it's almost March."

"Ugh." He squinted his eyes shut and slapped his forehead. "My birthday's coming up…"

"Are you angling for a birthday present from me?"

He blushed and shook his head vigorously. "No, no!! I just… I feel old."

"Well, you are."

Remus frowned at her. "You're so helpful."

Luna smiled. "I was only joking. Lighten up," she managed, for inside she felt the butterflies in her stomach try to fly into her throat. _Today's the day._ "Why don't we return to the forest?"

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

"Merlin. How many times have you dragged me in here now?" Remus asked her once they were under the cover of the forest's trees. He fanned himself. It was quite warm, but it was humid on top of that, and his shirt began sticking to him.

Luna didn't answer. Remus turned around –and did a complete circle; Luna wasn't anywhere in sight. His heart rate sped up a bit, but he did not fly into a panic. He knew she could take care of herself.

_But in a situation like this?_ The wizard retraced his steps at a brusque pace, but he couldn't take the same path they had come on. He couldn't find it. _Okay…_ He breathed hard, the humidity getting to him. _Damn it, this stupid humidity's creating a haze, _he grumbled, and he undid a little more than half of his shirt's buttons. The action gave him little relief, but he could definitely feel a slight shift in the wind, one that blew across the old scars on his chest and abdomen. Feeling a bit better, he kept at his same pace, but he soon knew he was just getting deeper and deeper into the Forbidden Forest. _And I'm becoming more lost and bewildered._

He was nearing the kappa pond when he crashed into his beloved oddball. She teetered backwards, but he caught her arms and kept her upright.

"What happened to you?! You disappeared!!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, that blank, mysterious, _Luna_ expression on her face. "I got distracted. You see, I thought I saw something like a wrackspurt."

"I-" He paused. "I thought you said you couldn't see them without Spectrespecs."

"Which was my reason for going and investigating," she answered. "But I didn't find anything. I was caught off-guard," Luna added in a tiny voice after an odd beat.

"By what?" Remus prodded. His stomach clenched when she averted her gaze.

"…Centaurs."

His heart jumped into his throat. "_Centaurs?!_" the wizard hissed. "This is exactly what I told you about, Luna!! Did they hurt you? Did they see you?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I left before they noticed me. I thought coming back here might be a good choice, since I was sure you'd get lost." Luna smiled up at him, but –for once –he saw a crack in her façade.

Remus glared at her before pulling her into his arms. "Do you think I'm mental? I can see you're shaking."

Luna was quiet, and then: "Remus, I-"

He shook his head and wrapped his arms more tightly around her. "Luna, I've got to tell you. I'm not worried just because you're another person in my life who I care about." He paused, gathering up his strength and nerves. "Luna…you're the one I care about the most. I put your life ahead of everyone's, including mine." He released her enough so he could tilt her head up and look her in the eye. "I'm in love with you, Lune."

The witch's eyes widened, but they were unreadable. It was her gripping the flaps of his shirt that egged him on.

_He_ kissed _her_ this time, something he had wanted to do since the first moment he had accepted his feelings for her. Merlin, it unleashed something in him. Finally, something had gone right. _Finally,_ he had done what he wanted. Finally, the stress vanished from his mind, if but for one small eternity.

Remus held her face –no, _cradled_ it in his hands as he kissed her more and more, and she just held onto him, kissing him back. Then he felt something wet on his face, and he pulled away to see her crying.

"Lune, I'm sorry, I-"

She shook her head, and a smile touched her lips. "No, I'm not. I just-" Her face crumpled some. "I _was_ scared. I can't always take care of myself out here or anywhere else in the world, and Neville doesn't understand that. So why do you?" Her eyes had never been bluer. "_Why do you understand me?_"

He gave her a small, sweet smile. "Like I said. I'm in love with you, Luna. And I won't let anything get to you again. No matter what, I am here for you." And Remus hugged her to him once again, feeling her embrace him, as well. _No matter what,_ he told himself. _Even if I never know how you feel about me. Even if there's nothing there that you feel for me like what I feel for you._

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Kinda short, after the last few chappies, but I really liked this. Unfortunately, I couldn't do with this chapter what I wanted because I forgot about the timeline I had already established in ****To the Future****. Damn me…**

**Anyway, please REVIEW!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**

**Another P.S. –The curse word nargle-dicks is mine, so I copyright it. No, really. I know I sound ridiculous, but it's funny, and I really wanted to share it with you guys (that and it seems to be a very Luna-appropriate swear, no?)**


	13. 2nd Harvest 13th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Second Harvest (& the Thirteenth Wax)**

The rain came then, and Luna's tears washed down her face along with the raindrops. She led Remus out to the edge of the forest and stopped. She let go of his hand, though she hated to do so.

"You should go inside and dry off," Remus scolded. "I told you I'd protect you. From everything. Including yourself, since you'll probably get distracted again and catch a cold."

She laughed. "I'll dry off," Luna said, "but I have places to be, things to get done. By now, though, you should know that colds aren't caused by cold water, Remus. They're caused by tiny little creatures called Mucus Mongers."

He rolled his eyes at her correction. "Of course, love." He bent down and kissed her lips once more. "Stay out of trouble, Lune." He looked her in the eye until she nodded.

"I will," she promised, and he turned and went back up to the school after that. Luna wanted to kick herself for not saying anything back to him.

_For not telling him that you feel the same way! _a nagging voice in her screamed at her. _Buffoon!!!!_

She agreed with the voice, because she had been all ready to confess her love to him, whether he loved her the same way or not. Well, she had been pretty sure he was in love with her, just like he said, but it was easier now knowing that they felt they same way. _Ooh._ Luna winced. _And now it must be harder on him because he laid all his cards out on the table and I didn't really respond._

_Well, you snogged him for quite a bit, didn't you?_ that voice teased.

Luna reddened, but only by the desire for more of that. She wished she could just steal Remus away from the school and have one whole day with him, but she knew he had things to do, students to teach –_broken families to raise,_ she thought glumly, knowing how unhappy he was at home and remembering how little Tonks had fought for his attention at the Weasleys' Christmas Eve party.

She tugged at her sweater with both hands, stretching it to wring it out. Luna looked up at the sound of footsteps –and her insides turned to ice.

Neville stared at her with a defeated expression. He looked at the ground behind him, and she followed his gaze. Remus was disappearing over the hill.

Suddenly, she was very glad to be drenched in the rain.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Luna didn't wait for Neville to say anything or approach her. She knew he wouldn't. Instantly, she quelled her raging emotions –both the good and the bad –and she went back into the forest. When she was deep in enough, she turned on the spot and Disapparated. Her home popped into her vision then, and she entered the house and went straight to her room. Once there, she sat down on the end of her bed and held herself.

Her emotions raged again. Why were things rollercoastering?! She was happily flirting with and kissing Remus, and then Neville was forcing himself on her. She had her courage gathered and Remus tells her he loves her, giving her the happiest moment in her life, and then Neville drops into the picture and doesn't even get mad. He just stands there, looking as though it's his fault, not hers or Remus', who was just disappearing from sight. The conflict gave her a migraine and she wondered if things were so simple anymore.

_Why should I be worried that Neville didn't want to yell at me?_ But the answer hit her, and she grew more unsure about the simplicity of the situation. She was confused about her feelings for Neville and now…now she was almost glad she hadn't said anything to Remus. She didn't know if what she said would be from the heart, or if it would be the right thing at all.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

March's early humidity finally faded into on-again/off-again rain, drizzles, and showers. Remus breathed easy once his birthday night ended, since Tonks had sent him a letter about how much bigger she had grown in three more months. She also commented about how often she felt the baby move, and how happy she was to feel that.

Remus liked his gift from Sirius better.

He actually had been on his way to see his best mate when he remembered he had last seen Sirius conversing with Neville. Remus frowned; maybe it would be wiser to catch Padfoot later…

"Hmm…," he heard ahead of him, and Sirius turned in front of Remus.

_Oh, great. Perfect timing, Fate._ He wanted to roll his eyes. "I like the watch, by the way," he said, holding up his wrist."

Sirius half-grinned. "Sorry… I know it's not much, but I noticed the old one had broken. This one's alarm will scream you awake if need be, y'know."

"Yes, I checked the settings." Remus couldn't think of anything else to say, for the Luna situation came to mind. _There's really no 'situation' anymore; I just can't get _her_ off my mind._ "I, er, saw you talk with Neville not that long ago," he casually started.

"I'm not going to tell you what we talked about, if that's what you're after, Remus," Sirius retorted.

"But it had to have been about–" He struggled with the right words. "About the…situation."

"Perhaps 'affair' or 'love-triangle' would work best in this case," Sirius said with a grimace. "But I still won't tell you what we talked about. Don't worry; I didn't spill your life story."

Remus found himself growing angry. "If it wasn't about that, then why all the moaning about keeping quiet?"

"And since when did you become a nosy teenage girl?!"

"Maybe the moment you hit your noggin' and became as secretive as Snape!!"

"Are you calling me a snake?!"

"No, I'm calling you a greasy black bat!!"

They glared at each other, just standing there, huffing and panting. How easy it was to revert to their teenage past-selves.

"Just give me an inkling," Remus demanded, exhausted from the argument.

"No!" Sirius told him. "And don't even think of trying to pull the 'big eyes' act on me. You know I was the only one who could ever do it, and it only worked on you and James anyway."

Remus softened at the mention of their other best friend. He didn't say anything for a while.

"Dog got your tongue?" his best mate prodded after a moment.

"No!!" He sighed, wishing he could just get some straight answers for once. "Just tell me if it had anything to do with Luna."

"I said, 'no'!" And with that, Sirius sauntered off, quite pissed, if one might add.

Remus glared at Sirius's back. _Goddammitt,_ he curse, and he stomped off, too. But he was not going to give up that easily anymore.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

The rest of March resulted in Remus hounding Sirius for answers. It was wearing both of their nerves thin, but neither would give up. It got to the point where Sirius was avoiding Remus, but the castle was only so big. And they both had had a hand in creating the Marauders' Map, so there really was no place to escape to, since they knew about all the secret passages.

As April dwindled in days and then May happened upon them, this heckling was becoming a very big distraction in both of their lives. So big a distraction, in fact, that one bad event one night became two bad events.

……

What? Remus was distracted.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

One evening in May, Remus was on his way downstairs to dinner. His skin crawled, and he wished he were far, far away. But that feeling always came to him when it was a full moon.

He was just outside the Great Hall when Sirius whizzed past him. Remus darted out and caught the black-haired wizard's arm. "Where are you going? It's supper."

Sirius had a frown etched on his face. "I had to eat early. I've got detention with two of my students."

"You? Gave detention?" Remus was positively shocked.

"Ginny and one of her friends are in my classroom, so if you'll excuse me," Sirius stated, and he shook Remus off.

_Ginny?!_ Remus thought, but he couldn't ask any more for Padfoot had already sauntered off. _He looked a little too angry for just detention with Ginny and her friend…_

He entered the Great Hall and sat at the staff table, enjoying the delicious meal as always. He was done in fairly short order, and it occurred to him that maybe –though he acknowledged this was a slightly mean thought –Sirius would crack under all the stress tonight.

Remus left the Great Hall in a hurry when it hit him. The pain came crashing over him in waves, and he had to actually stop and grip the wall for support. _Shit, _he thought as his breath grew more and more jagged and hoarse.

_I forgot to take the wolfsbane potion before supper._

He tried to hobble back to his room, but the change tonight was nastier than usual, and he knew he wouldn't make it. Taking the potion now wouldn't make a difference.

The wizard moved as quickly as he could in this state, and he meant to head straight to the Whomping Willow. He wished he could've taken that path and gone to the Shrieking Shack, like he used to when he had attended Hogwarts not as a teacher but as a student, but that could not happen tonight.

The change came too quickly, and all he could do was run into the Forbidden Forest. Before he knew it, he was tearing his clothes off as he ran with inhuman speed. Deep in the forest, almost on the other edge of it, at the base of the mountains, he stopped, but the beast had now taken over. Right then, a few clouds parted, enough to see the moon. The lurid, full moon.

His howl echoed at the foot of the mountains, but it was not the only time he would cry that night.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Short, but at least it has a cliffhanger! …Please don't kill me. But PLEASE REVIEW!!! Last I checked, this story had only two reviews, and I really want to hear your thoughts –I know people are reading this story, 'cause it's been favorited and alerted a nice amount.**

**This next chapter will be heavy, but good, so please look forward to it. AND REVIEW! (And BTW: this right now coincides with ****To the Future**** chapters 17, 18, and 19, FYI)**

**Thank you!!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**

**P.S. –Three more chapters dedicated to: ****ashleyahh**** and ****Translucent****Darkness****.**


	14. 3rd Harvest 14th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Third Harvest (& the Fourteenth Wax)**

Another blood-curdling howl pierced the night.

As a werewolf, Remus sniffed the ground and took off running. A sudden and urgent bloodlust overtook him, and he also itched to be further from humans. He was a beast now, and he wanted to be with his kind.

While he sped through the forest, he heard many sounds. Snapping twigs, bird twitters, hooves pounding the ground –they all surrounded him. He went deeper into the forest, hidden by the massive trees. He reared up on his back feet when he heard a dull, repeating thump on the forest floor, and he entered a clearing just as a dog did.

He towered over the canine. Despite the obvious difference in size and strength, the dog still bared his teeth and growled. Remus howled in response, and locked his eyes on the dog.

The black dog viciously barked, and Remus understood what he was saying. _Get it together, Remus! Tonks needs you now!!_

Remus was not entirely gone yet, and something told him that the speaker, the dog, was Sirius in Animagus form. _T-Tonks?_ he asked with a low whine. But his eyes grew a richer gold and his pupils blackened more as the werewolf vied for more control. A low, guttural noise came from the back of his throat. _You, dog, are meat!_ He bared his fangs to encourage fear.

_Pull your head out of your ass!_ Sirius said with a few barks. _Remus, I don't give a damn that you aren't in love with Tonks, but you better get to your wife's _fucking_ bedside before my teeth sink into your jugular!!_

The words didn't get through. They were only partially understood, but it didn't matter. Remus lunged at the dog with his claws outstretched. It jumped out of the way with a small whimper, and then struck Remus on the arm. Remus merely shook him off.

The dog landed on his feet. He took action again, and ran behind the beast and was on the defensive as his best mate came at him with a fury of swipes.

Remus tripped over a felled tree then, and the dog bit the werewolf's left ear. Pain seared through him, causing Remus to shriek. He shook his head vigorously, and the dog was flung into a nearby bush. Remus went after him, but the dog escaped between the beast's huge legs.

_Gee, Rem. If that's close to what it looks like in real life, I can see why Tonksy would want you all to herself._

The werewolf deeply inhaled and released a rumbling howl. Instinct told him that his pack might come and help him, but then he tried to remember if he had a pack –anyone, not just family, but anyone who would come and help him. Something told him that there was nothing for him.

His anger at that he directed toward the dog. He reached for him, and the dog backed up until he was back against a tree. The dog jumped onto Remus's hand then and ran along his arm, head-butting him once at his shoulder. The dog hopped down, and Remus wobbled backwards, clutching his head.

The dog said something, but Remus couldn't focus on it. He kept teetering until he finally fell to the clearing floor on his back. He panted until his breathing slowed, and his grunts and moans sounded weaker and weaker. Something crunched, and silence followed.

The silence was welcomed, and then something approached Remus. He heard sounds, but he focused on his breathing, which only jaggedly rumbled ever few moments. He turned his head away, and the thing made another noise.

Suddenly, Remus snapped his head back and saw not a dog, but a human. He leaped up, bellowed, and grabbed the human's front, chucking him into the tree from earlier. The human cried and fell to the dirt with a thud. Remus waited until it got on its knees, and then Remus hit the human's left cheek. A sickening crack broke through the night.

Even after that, it _still_ insisted on making noise. In response, Remus thrust his palm into the human's chin. The human's head snapped backwards and he himself flew backwards in an arch, landing in a bush of thorns.

When it didn't move, Remus retraced his steps and went back to the entrance of the forest. Nighttime did not eclipse him any more; things were starting to lighten. He rested, not wanting to deal with anything else right then.

So of course when the human reappeared, Remus ran into him. He hit its arm, but it faced him. Remus glowered at it and snarled. The human grabbed a stick and was going to make _more_ noise if Remus hadn't caught that hand and squeezed it until the human dropped the twig.

The werewolf tightened his grip, ignoring the measly punch the human threw at his nose. Actually, that was such a weak attempt at survival that Remus nearly smiled. He lifted the human off the ground without effort. It gasped and choked as Remus squeezed its neck tighter, and it even tried kicking him, but of course the human was no match for him.

"Re-Remus!" it rasped. It _still_ wanted to make noise?! "Get a hold of yourself! … What would Luna think, hmm?" It looked at him, and Remus stared back. One of those sounds… It was familiar, and was a pleasing sound to his ears, just like the moonlight was a pleasant feeling on his skin… "Do you think she'd appreciate you leaving your wife? In a time of need?! I know you at least love Nymphadora like a friend! Doesn't that count for anything?!"

Remus's grip slackened, he was confused –that pleasant sound was lost in all the other noise coming from this human. He tightened his fingers, and the human coughed. He brought his fingers closer and closer together, the human turning the color of blood and blinking its eyes several times. Its eyelids were beginning to droop…

Out of nowhere, pain hit Remus again. He yowled, and the human fell to the ground, released from the werewolf's grip. Remus fell on his back, his head connecting with a rock. He blacked out as sunlight erupted the medium blue of the sky.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Remus awoke with the most excruciating headache, like he had been front row at a techno concert. His head throbbed as he sat up, and an over-robe was tossed at him. He turned and saw Sirius, beaten, bruised, broken, and bloody.

"So you're not going to try and finish the job, are you?" his best mate asked as Remus hastily pulled the warm robe over himself.

"I- ah- What?" He furrowed his brow and squinted at Sirius in the bright morning light.

"Never mind. We've got to get to St. Mungo's. We'll hit the school first so you can grab a sweater and some pants and shoes, but then we have to hightail it outside of the school's no-Apparation zone. It'll be the fastest way to the hospital." Sirius started up a quick pace, and Remus followed.

Dread filled him. "Wait, Sirius! What's –Who's at St. Mungo's?!" The blood drained from his face as he realized the answered before Sirius said it.

"It's Tonks." Sirius glanced back at him, but Remus was looking at the ground.

So, this was it. He _knew_ it had to be. Why else would Tonks be at the hospital? Why else would Sirius speak with such urgency in his tone? Why should Remus have ever hoped that nothing bad would happen with her pregnancy?

Silence came between the two Marauders as the returned to the castle. Remus quickly grabbed his clothes and changed in his office, and then he rejoined Sirius. They sped to Hogsmead, where Remus was the first to Apparate, and Sirius was right behind him. The next thing they knew, the smell of potions and the stench of multi-species death filled their noses.

Remus ignored it and went to the front desk. "I'm Nymphadora Lupin's husband," he said to the goblin clerk. "Where's my wife?" The word wife had been a little hard to say, but Remus tossed aside all of the tangled web he was caught in; he only cared about her well-being right now.

The goblin waved his wand and sorted some papers. A file floated in front of the goblin's hooked nose. "Ah, yes," the clerk chirped. "Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks. She's in the Maternity Emergency Ward. Here," he continued, flicking his wand and passing a note to Remus; it dangled in front of his face, waiting for him and Sirius to follow. "Follow this note into the elevator. You and it are going to the same place. Good day."

The halls were congested, and Remus and Sirius could only walk after the note at a normal pace. They got on the elevator and had the first chance to catch their breaths, but Remus's anxiety didn't lessen one bit. His heart practically dropped into his stomach, not knowing what was going on.

After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Remus and Sirius stepped out and didn't bother with that level's front desk. Charlie was waiting for them.

"We've been waiting all night long," Charlie stated as he led them to the others. "Where have you been?"

"Being a werewolf wasn't a choice, Charlie," Remus simply told him. No heat, no sadness. He said it with simple indifference. Remus just wanted this night –this _nightmare_ –to be over.

They approached a narrow hallway, with a few chairs occupying both sides of it. Molly, Arthur, and Minerva were standing a few meters away from some room, and Ginny was sitting uncomfortably in one of the chairs. The three adults rushed Remus.

"She's in good hands," Minerva told him. "They're doing their best to take care of her."

"How bad is it?" Remus inquired. A scream shook all of them to their bones, and he felt his blood turn to ice. That voice was Dora's…

Molly forced a smile. "She's still going through this miscarriage. It began last night."

Beside him, Sirius gaped. "She's _still_-?! How can that be possible?!"

"It's the lycanthropy," Remus offered. "I'm surprised she's even made it through her first term."

Minerva nodded. "Lycanthropy is only transmitted through scratches and bites. I don't think I've ever heard of a child born a werewolf."

Remus rolled his shoulders in his anxiety; he wished he had never gotten Tonks pregnant to begin with. With what it was doing to her… He sat down a seat over from Ginny. "The lycan blood isn't an allele or any other part of a chromosome. It's essentially a virus that attaches itself _to_ the person's existing chromosomes. Their DNA is…_mutated_ in a way." He hated that he understood his condition so well. "This mutation curses them with the need to change form in the full moon's light. The radiation from the sun's UV rays during the day is too much, and the moon's reflected light during its other stages isn't enough to cause a reaction, but the amount of radiation from the full moon's reflection of the sun's light is the correct amount to irritate the virus into action. We become wolves simply because that was the other part of the virus's gift; we were handed a bit of wolf DNA alongside the virus."

Ginny, Charlie, Sirius, Molly, and Arthur stared at him. Their eyes were wide, their mouths perfect O's. He understood how they felt. This kind of magic attacked in such a scientific way, it as scary.

Minerva pursed her lips. "The fetus is still developing even by the end of the first term, but it's obviously closer to what a newborn looks like than earlier in the term, and the fetus has already developed its major organs. In a sense, this young child might have begun to change if it truly received Remus's lycanthropy-infected genes and was developed enough."

_Considering that Tonks' made it to the third trimester… If the child is as Minerva says, then it might be tearing Dora apart,_ the brunette wizard thought to himself. That idea scared the shit out of him.

"No wonder she's screaming," Ginny murmured, and then gulped.

There was another screech, and then the hall was filled with the average hubbub of a hospital. Remus looked at the doorway to what the others had told him and Sirius was Tonks's room. "I thought I was hard of hearing when she told me she was pregnant," Mooney said with a sad smile, one that also reached his eyes.

A doctor emerged from the room, and everyone was on their feet. Remus stepped forward. "You're Mrs. Lupin's husband, I presume?"

Remus nodded. "Is she all right?"

"See for yourself." The doctor led him away from the rest of the gang and into Tonks's room. The quiet was just as terrifying as the screaming.

Tonks had the room to herself. Ted and Andromeda were there, and they stopped whispering when Remus entered. Ted nodded to him, and Andromeda tried to force a tight smile, but she pursed her lips in the end. They backed off and went outside so Remus could talk with Tonks.

Her hair was dark brown, almost black. Remus approached her, and he wondered if she were asleep. Her eyes fluttered open, and he grabbed her hand. "Re…mus…"

"I'm right here, Dora, I'm right here," he answered quietly. The next thing he knew, tears were screwing up his vision and wetting his cheeks. She looked so weak…

Tonks timidly smiled. "Hi."

"Hi, Dora."

She blinked a few times, and then she was better able to open her eyes. "I'm sorry, Remus. I should've told you about it…"

He furrowed his brow. "What do _you _have to be sorry about? It's my fault, I was so drowned in work, I…" He knew _he_ was the stupid one; he should've been by her side more often.

"Remus, all those letters… Even during the holidays… I never mentioned to you about the pain I was having."

"Wh-What pain?" he asked.

"The pain whenever there was a full moon," she sobbed. She blinked back her own tears. "I only told my parents about it a few times, but it happened every full moon."

"Dora, Dora, shh," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm just glad you're okay…"

She stopped rocking in his arms, and then she gripped his sweater after an odd beat. "Remus… I- I know."

"Know what, Dora?"

Tonks rested her chin on his shoulder. Her parents were silently talking, but she still whispered it into his ear. "I know I forced this on you."

Remus stopped moving, as well. He had been right. This had been a last-ditch attempt at claiming him, claiming his love. But she knew she had failed miserably. "You…"

She cut him off. "Don't worry about me anymore, Remus. I should've listened to you from the beginning. You were right; we're not meant to be together." She looked at him with glassy eyes before raising her shoulders a bit in a gesture similar to a shrug. "Frankly, I don't have a high enough threshold for pain, physical and emotional, to be with you." She pulled away from him, adding under her breath, "Maybe she does."

His heart skipped a beat. What had she said?

Tonks looked at him. "I know," she said in a low voice, one that was fairly even. "Maybe she can pass nine months of horror."

"Dora, I'm-"

"I lost the fetuses."

"F-Fetuses…?" he echoed.

She looked away from him now, nodding. "I had been right about that one thing."

Remus fell into the chair behind him. It had actually been twins. Twins. It had. Actually been twins. Actually. Been twins.

Andromeda and Ted reentered and stepped up to their daughter's bedside. "Nymphadora…," Andromeda prodded.

Tonks looked back at Remus. "I really can't handle any more of this. I'm done with it, and I'm done with you." She inhaled. "I want a divorce."

If forgetting his potion had been the laser at his back and the miscarriage the knife in his heart, this was the knife being twisted in the wound. He was expecting it, really, with what she was just saying about him not having to worry about her anymore and her not being able to handle the pain. But all this in one night?

"We'll take care of the documentation this weekend," Ted supplied when it was clear Tonks didn't want to say anything else. "I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances, Remus."

Remus numbly nodded. "Yes…" Somehow he forced himself up out of the chair. "Well, the others will want to see that you're okay. Molly and Arthur are here, as well as Minerva. Charlie brought Ginny, and Sirius is here, too. I'll go let them know you're okay." As he walked to the door, he glanced back at Tonks. He saw that there wasn't any semblance of care for him left in her eyes.

And that was the knife being wrenched from his back for him to bleed to death.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

"Twins," he heard Charlie and Ginny say in unison, and he stopped. Did they already know? He assured himself that that couldn't be, because he had been the first to see Tonks, after her parents. His legs felt like stone as he met up with the others.

"How is she?" Charlie asked.

Remus forced a small, sad smile. "She survived. The fetuses…"

"Wait," Sirius cut in. "It _was_ twins?"

He nodded. "They didn't survive. As Minerva suspected, they had started to transform. It almost tore Dora apart." He squinted to keep from crying again. Remus inhaled and leaned on Minerva's shoulder when she offered it. He didn't say anything else.

In time and turn, the others visited with Tonks when she was ready. Sirius didn't, and Remus supposed that it was to avoid any questioning about Remus and Luna. He left the hall, and Remus followed.

A tray flew over Sirius's head, and he caught it and plucked the biscuit before releasing the meal. He stopped and turned around to be face-to-face with Remus.

"We've got to stop meeting like this, Remus," he said in a flat tone.

Remus tilted his head slightly. "Only when the tragedies stop piling up," he replied with his sad smile from earlier.

Sirius waited before asking, "So what happened in there?"

"She _is_ fine. I'm grateful for that, because I at least care for her." Remus clenched his jaw gloomily; he _did_ care for her, like a friend, but… "She doesn't even care for me anymore. Not with all she's suffered for me." And he knew it to be true.

The Animagus' eyes widened a bit. "You aren't assuming any of this, are you?"

Remus nodded. "Nymphadora has had enough. She wants a divorce." He met Sirius's eyes. "So much for everything working out for the best…"

"Rem, you know that's not what I meant when I said that."

The werewolf held up his hand. "You don't have to assure me. I know, Sirius. I know." The sad part was that he sincerely meant that. He did know.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Okay, a Remus chapter, but I had to get this out of the way. Like I warned, it was heavy. Violence, angst, hardship… Where's the love? Is this really a tsubaki story? I confuse myself sometimes…**

**Please review, because things are going to really change in the next two to three chapters, and I don't know how quick I'll update with no reviews, sad to say.**

**Don't leave me in the dark, peoples.**

**Your dedicated author,**

**-mew-tsubaki**

**P.S –Two more chapters dedicated to: ****ashleyahh**** and ****Translucent****Darkness****.**


	15. 4th Harvest 15th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Fourth Harvest (& the Fifteenth Wax)**

That weekend was hell all over again for Remus. Nothing new happened, but signing the papers just reopened the wounds. Everything would be (and was) settled quickly, because Tonks had actually been planning the divorce for a while with the help of her parents.

All that was left was Remus's signature, which he numbly provided. He _had_ skimmed over the fine print, but Tonks wasn't asking for anything save to be rid of him, so Remus complied. He cared for her enough that, if being separated from him would make her happy, then he would comply.

So he signed away, giving her ownership of basically the baby stuff, which he had a feeling she'd destroy anyway. Her parents packed up her things and took them to their home. Remus was a bachelor again.

He was alone in his house once more.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

That weekend was the end of something else as well. Neville took that Saturday off and had Luna meet him in Hogsmead.

Luna went, although a tad nervous. It was the first time she had seen him since March. She had kept busy with the paper so as to not talk to him about Remus –she still didn't know what to say, and he hadn't wanted to see her in a while, too. But Luna wondered what else him suddenly wanting to see her could mean.

She wracked her brain, trying to think of what else it could be, when Neville joined her. He sat down and caught his breath. "S-Sorry I'm late."

"It's no problem," she replied with her usual mysterious smile. Luna rubbed her bare arms. Though it was summer and she was wearing a tank due to the heat, goose bumps popped onto her arms. She wished they could just get down to business…

"It's been awful lately," Neville stated. "Oh, did you order anything? Go ahead, it's my treat."

She was going to answer him when the waitress came up, and he ordered a large ice cream sundae. Luna ordered a dragonfruit smoothie, and then they were left alone again. "So, your treat?"

Neville chuckled. "Why not?" He scratched his nose. "Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about…"

_Oh, great. Here it comes…_, she thought, preparing herself for what she was sure would be an ensuing interrogation about her and Remus.

"I was thinking that we should see other people."

Luna blinked. Okay, not what she was expecting. "You want to break up?" she elaborated with a blank face.

He fretted. "Luna, it's not-! Okay," he sighed, "you can take it that way. But, see… Neither of us have any experience. This isn't just the first serious relationship we've had. This is the first relationship for both of us." He waited while the waitress brought them their orders. Neville gripped his spoon. "I want to date other women, make sure that I'm the right one for you."

"Or make sure that you're not the right one for me."

"Yes… You can take it that way, too. But…"

Luna half-heartedly smiled. "If you want that, Neville, then I can't tie you down. I may not be the right one for you, even."

He looked up at her with worried eyes. "You're perfect, Luna! Don't ever think otherwise! It's just…" He ate some of his ice cream. "I think someone else sees that, and I have to wonder if he's the right one for you instead of me."

Now she straightened up. "Neville, I want you to know…"

"Don't worry," he said. "I admit, I was kinda hurt, but I find it doesn't bug me as much as I thought it would. Another reason for me to figure out if I'm the right man for you."

"Then that's it."

"That's it."

"…That's it." And suddenly, she really wanted to see Remus. Not to confess her love, but because Neville was so blasé about this. She had to wonder if she was losing a friend, as well. One thing was for sure, though: She now understood her feelings for Neville were definitely platonic.

She could now give Remus the right answer.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

When Remus went back to teaching, his workload was lightened a bit. Sirius took some of his classes so he could have some grieving periods, because the divorce was finalized barely a week from that horrendous night.

He kept to himself more often now, though his mind would wander. Always there was something to worry about. Luna, for instance; he hadn't seen her in about two months. Again, he wondered if he had chased _her_ away, too. It was getting to the point that Remus wondered why he even bothered with other people anymore.

Some time after the miscarriage fiasco something brand new hooked its claws in Remus.

It just wasn't his year…

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Two days after his divorce was settled, Remus was lounging in his office with a book cracked open. It was lunch time, but he didn't have an appetite, like he lacked most of these days.

He rubbed his eyes. Exhaustion was wearing him down, but he had a class next period, and he needed to prepare. He considered taking a quick nap when there was a knock at his door. He was suddenly very much awake.

It was not Luna, however. Minerva walked up to his desk, her face not grave, but not simply displeased either. Remus swung his legs off his desk and stood.

"Minerva, what's wrong?" he asked.

"The headmaster requests your presence in his office," she answered in a clipped tone. "Albus wants to see you immediately, Remus."

Remus nodded and she left. He looked down at his things, closing a drawer and his book. He pushed his chair in and locked up his office, and made his way to Dumbledore's office.

Right outside the headmaster's door, he caught the end of a sentence. "…one that hasn't been blown out of proportion." It was Dumbledore.

The werewolf entered the office then, wondering why Ginny and Sirius sat before the headmaster. "You called, Albus?" he asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "I need you to take over the Defense Against the Dark Arts class for the seventh years. Your fourth years will be handed to Sirius, and I need you to test Ginny on her knowledge of the class so far."

Remus did a double-take. "Wuh- I- Yes, headmaster," he answered. He glanced at Sirius, who lowered his gaze. So, Sirius would tell him later.

"That is all, Professor Lupin. You may go."

Dumbledore didn't say anything further until Remus had left. The brunette wizard returned to his office, definitely shocked. The only thing he could reason was that Sirius and Ginny- Sirius and Ginny-

Those two must've been caught doing something inappropriate.

Mooney steered clear of guesses about what they might have been doing. Something else boggled him about this. After all, Ginny still blamed Sirius for Ron's death and her losing Harry.

… Didn't she?

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

When night rolled around, Remus dragged Sirius away from supper to explain what was going on. Sirius was sad, maybe a bit depressed, so he went with Remus without a word.

They went to Remus's room, and Remus uncharacteristically pulled out a small bottle of firewhiskey. He poured a glass for each of them, and he took a small sip from his own. He waited for Sirius to speak.

"I'm…in love with Ginny," he said.

Remus spat out his drink. "_What_?!!"

Sirius looked up at him. "It's exactly as I said. I'm in love with Ginny, Mooney. She's in love with me, as well."

Again, Remus nearly choked. "_WHAT_?!!!"

Padfoot looked away and put his glass down on a table, untouched. "Dumbledore found us out, that's why he's separated us."

The werewolf blinked several time in rapid succession. "Can we rewind? Whatever happened to Ginny hating you so much that she practically wanted you dead?!!"

Sirius wistfully grinned. "She did still hate me for a bit at the beginning of the year. But when we all got the wedding invites to Harry and Hermione's wedding, she was broken." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I was there to comfort her. It took some time, but I realized I had fallen for her. And she had fallen for me. She told me so back around December."

"It's May!" Remus exclaimed. "You've been with her for that long?!"

He nodded. "Yep. She, uh, didn't stay at school over Christmas break, either…," he added in a low voice, averting his eyes and scratching his beard with his index finger.

"OH MY-!!! _You took her HOME WITH YOU_?!!!!!!"

"What? She didn't want to see her parents or Harry and Hermione. She was also rather forceful, Remus." He blinked. "A little frightening, really."

Remus heaved a great sigh. _And _I'm_ in a bad situation?_ he told himself. He sat down on his bed and cracked his neck. "What happened today, Sirius?"

Now Sirius's eyes darkened. "We…were having an argument. It was a pretty vicious one. We were standing outside the Room of Requirement, shouting at each other, when Dumbledore yelled 'Silence!' at us. Then he dragged us to his office, where he told us that he's a fan of love, but that this is a scandal, so we had to be separated, now you have her class and have to test her, he owled Molly and Arthur, and now there's a Distance Charm set in place. We're not allowed within twenty meters of each other."

"Oh." So, that was everything. Well, not everything. Remus was sure there was more, but Sirius looked shattered, and Remus knew better than to push an already fragmented person. He knew from experience.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Ah, yes. We coincide here with chapter 19 of ****To the Future****, but I thought this was fairly interesting from Rem's pov. That, and Luna and Neville's break-up. Ooh, I can't wait to write more!**

**And I hope you guys can't wait either, so let me know with a review!! Thank you!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**

**P.S. –One more chapter dedicated to: ****ashleyahh**** and ****Translucent****Darkness****.**


	16. 5th Harvest 16th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Fifth Harvest (& the Sixteenth Wax)**

Remus hanged his head in shame for Sirius the next day. "Please tell me you haven't…_touched_ her, mate," he told his friend.

Sirius whistled. "In any other situation, I might be expected to say, 'Oh, I wish I could tell you that.' Not only is that not true, but I wouldn't dare spout that nonsense." He displayed a wry smile. "Damn, that girl-"

Remus turned sickly green. "Oh, Merlin! Don't go giving me _details_!" That was the last thing he needed!

"Yes, well, I'm sure you can make an estimated guess since you know of the birds and the bees," he stated, changing his tone to a sing-song one. "Remus knows of the birds and the bees, and the Whomping Willow tree…"

"Stop that terrible singing!!"

"All right, all right…" Sirius finished retrieving the books Remus was lending him for the fourth years' class. He paused for a moment. "You really hadn't caught on, had you?"

Remus's cheeks turned cherry red. "In all honesty…no." He grimaced. "I guess I haven't been much of a friend to not have noticed a change in you. I just-" He ran a hand through his hair; he really hadn't seen much of Sirius at all. "Must've been preoccupied with my own life."

"As well you should be," Padfoot commented. "When someone is involved in all lives but their own, they're just running away from their problems."

The werewolf glared at him. "What's with all of the common sense you've been driveling these days? You're not much of an academic."

"I ascribe it to too much free time on my hands," Sirius answered flatly, suggesting his lack of time spent with Ginny. Another moment passed in silence. "Erm… You don't think that you could possibly set up a little meeting with Gin for me?"

"I'm not much of a rule-breaker, Sirius," Remus stated.

"_Please_…?"

He sighed. "…Fine. But I'll be present. The Charm's effects are more like…side-effects, really. I don't think you'd want to experience them."

Sirius looked triumphant. "Yes! Wait. What side-effects? You mean it might do more than just keep us away from one another? Remus! Tell me!!"

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

That Sunday, Remus went and found Ginny. He pushed the Charm's effects out of his mind –well, he tried. Dumbledore had told him the morning after the discovery of Sirius and Ginny exactly what the Distance Charm would do if pushed to far.

_"It is the only Distance Charm in existence,"_ Dumbledore had said. _"And rather unforgiving it is."_

_"Then why place it on them?"_ Remus had asked.

_"Because something had to be done."_ Dumbledore had walked behind his desk, pacing, like he did so often. _"I tell you this, Remus, because I hope you can keep them behaving while the rest of the year plays out. The Charm does not merely separate them, professor."_

Remus had stared at him then. _"I beg pardon?"_

_"This Distance Charm was created a long time ago, and thus has additional effects due to the time period. If pushed too far, the two star-crossed lovers will begin to forget. Little things, at first, just a few memories of each other. If they manage to come within arm's reach of one another, their memories will be Obliviated. Yes, you heard me correctly, Obliviated,"_ Dumbledore had repeated at Remus's shocked expression. _"Their minds won't be completely erased, but everything related to their relationship will be forgotten. They will have never known that they had once loved the other."_

_"And yet you still insisted on placing this- this __hex__?!"_ Remus had exclaimed. He was still astonished that Dumbledore would ever agree to something so hostile, so emotionally violent. Dumbledore had merely met Remus's accusing eyes with sad ones.

And now here he stood, next to Ginny, breaking the rules slightly. He tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

"See you in my classroom?"

His words were few, but he hoped Ginny got the gist of things from just that much. She nodded, and he almost breathed his sigh of relief. He moved on in the hallway, heading for his classroom. Okay, well, it was Sirius's classroom with the other students, only Remus's classroom when he had the seventh years, but that didn't really matter right then. He knew Ginny knew where to go.

"She's coming," he burst out when he reached the room.

Sirius looked up from the book he had been perusing. "She is? Really?"

Remus nodded and went up to the desk. "And I would appreciate it if you stopped taking my books, Padfoot." He returned it to the bookcase when Ginny entered the classroom. She and Sirius were staring lovingly at each other. His cheeks pinked. "Erm, I'll, uh, be right over here and I'll Charm myself so I won't listen in, but just remember to stay on opposite sides of the room, okay?" He faced the bookshelf and Charmed both the room and himself.

A few minutes later, Remus's Charm was broken when Ginny left. Remus judged it was safe to turn around now, so he did. But Sirius didn't look happy. He looked shell-shocked. _Again_.

Sirius closed her gaping mouth and stood. "Well… It was nice talking to her." He gave a small nod in Remus's direction. "Thank you, Mooney."

"Sirius, what-"

"I'll see you later." Sirius left it at that and left the classroom, but Remus didn't like seeing his best mate look that way. What the hell had happened?

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

They gave Ginny some distance, until Sirius voiced his concern that she was avoiding him. May was tough on Sirius, and Remus spent most of his free time hanging out with his friend. Before, he barely saw Sirius; now, Sirius was the only person he saw, because he still hadn't seen Luna.

The first week of June, Remus approached Ginny three times, but each time Ginny came up with some sort of excuse. Whether she actually had Quidditch practice or a History of Magic essay to write, it didn't matter. The werewolf was smart enough to realize that she was avoiding Sirius, and Remus didn't bother trying to make excuses for her. It was as plain as day to Sirius.

At supper, Sirius had lost his appetite. "Life is unfair," he commented.

Remus stopped chewing his mouthful of roast. Watching his best mate, he was reminded of his own…_situation_ with Luna. But that was different, since Remus knew he hadn't really fallen for –oh, who was he kidding? He _had_ fallen for that lovely oddball, he had confessed to her as much, but he still didn't know her feelings for him. He wished fervently that he did. Sirius, he thought, was lucky, because Ginny loved him. Although, that idea wasn't definite these days.

"Let me try her tomorrow. I'll tell her she has to come, no matter what. Hopefully, she'll show up," Remus offered.

"After that, my last shot will be the upcoming end-of-the-school-year Hogsmead trip. Otherwise, I'll back off until after this school year, when the stupid Charm wears off. Then, it'll be her decision. Maybe I've done something…" Sirius was lost in thought. He numbly pushed back his chair. "Goodnight, Remus."

"'Night, Sirius," the were answered, and he watched Sirius leave.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

That weekend Remus met Ginny in the hallway. She must've been waiting for him, he supposed. A few minutes after he reached his classroom, Ginny appeared. She stayed near the doors like last time, and Remus worked the spells. The couple was now basically alone.

Again, it felt like only a few minutes when the Charm not merely voided. It was shattered. Remus turned around in time to see the doors swinging, evidence that they had been thrown open. He looked at Sirius.

"She…flew off the handle at me," Sirius said, gaping at the floor. "I'm…to blame."

Remus blinked. "You're to blame? What did you do? You've barely seen her, let alone said much of anything to her." He looked from Sirius to the doors and back. "What… What did you say to her?"

And again, Sirius was not up for questions. "Look… Remus. I've… I've got some things to catch up on, essays to grade, y'know. I'll see you later, okay?" Sirius didn't wait for an answer. He hastily left the room, but Remus had to rub his eyes. He wasn't sure if he saw Sirius's eyes as glassy or if it was a trick of the light.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Two days later, Remus got a small break.

Well, he meant to. He was walking around the castle during lunch time, tired from the stuffiness of the Great Hall. Remus walked downstairs, tempted to take his stroll outside onto the bridge. He paused at the top of the staircase.

Luna was down below, talking animatedly with Neville.

Out of the blue, Luna's Christmas card came floating to the front of Remus's mind. It was still cryptic to him. Someone whose mind would fuzz only around him? He felt his sweater pockets. Yes, they were still there. Remus pulled the Spectrespecs out and put them on, though a little embarrassed about wearing something so…goofy.

With them on, he looked down at Luna. He didn't see anything special with the glasses on. He took them off and inspected them. _So are they broken?_ he wondered. _Or do they not work?_

He felt eyes on him and he looked at them. Luna smiled up at Remus, and her cheeks pinked a bit. She returned her attention to Neville to wrap up her conversation.

On a whim, Remus put his spectacles back on and peeked at the two again. This time, there was something. This time he saw things flitting about inside Luna's head, judging by where they appeared to be. He removed the Spectrespecs and put them away when Luna turned away from Neville and made her way up to Remus.

"Hello, stranger," Luna said with a flirty, mysterious smile. She shifted her messenger bag on her shoulder.

"Hello, Luna," he responded with a weak smile.

Her brow crinkled in concern. "What's wrong?"

He sighed. "It's been a while."

"I know. I've been swamped in the paper. Today was the first day I've had to get away, so I thought I'd come and see you."

"A lot of things have happened," Remus mumbled.

Luna frowned, something she didn't usually do. "You should get outside. It's gorgeous. In fact," she said, tugging on his arm, "you can tell me everything while we go for a walk. Let's go to the bridge."

They left the castle and Remus did as she suggested. He told her everything: The potion, Tonks, twins, the divorce, Ginny and Sirius and his new class schedule… When he was done, he felt more tired than before. He was reliving all those events again just by talking about them.

The reporter slowly shook her head. "Remus…" Luna leaned back against the railing, and he leaned with one hand on the railing. "I should've come sooner. I felt something was wrong. I should've come."

Remus shook his head. "Actually, I think it's better that you didn't. I've been really out of it. Only until recently when I had to help Sirius out have I finally gotten out of my funk." He looked her over. "How have you been? The bracelet hasn't had to come in handy, has it?"

She smiled. "No, it hasn't. Did you ever try out your gift?"

"I wanted to ask you again, though. What did you mean when you wrote about someone's mind fuzzing around only me?"

"Remus, really! You still didn't solve that one?" She sighed exasperatedly, but she still smiled. "Those Spectrespecs will show you the person –or persons, maybe –who can't think when they're around you. You're all they think about, i.e.…"

"In love with me," he finished.

She nodded, and then paused. "So is anyone in love with you?" Luna asked, and she stared at the landscape.

"I, uh, still haven't tried them," he lied. _She gave these to me, knowing this and…_

"Oh," Luna breathed. She looked at him again. "I'll try not to stay away for so long again, Remus."

Remus's senses came back to him. "Yes, that would be nice." He smiled. "I worry, as you know."

Luna patted his cheek. "Remus…"

He had the sudden urge to kiss her, and he did. He pressed his lips to her plush ones and then pulled back. A smile brightened his face. "Sorry. You said to do what I wanted, remember."

She laughed, blushing a little. "Yes, I remember." She turned around and leaned on her elbows on the side of the bridge. "You are a womanizer, Mr. Lupin." Luna flicked her eyes to him as he, too, leaned on the bridge with both hands, though his arms were now on either side of her. The witch looked up. "Flirt."

"You know, that only makes me want to kiss you some more."

So what did he do? Made out with her, of course. What? He was following his heart.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**YAAAY!!!! Oh, Merlin, I **_**can't**_** wait to write some of the next stuff! Please stay with me…**

**AND ****REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**

**P.S. –Last chapter dedicated to: ****ashleyahh**** and ****Translucent****Darkness****. You guys were my first two reviews, and I love you for it!! Next review gets the next dedication!**


	17. 6th Harvest 17th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

**Word of Caution****: The end of this chapter contains some sexually graphic content, one reason for the mature rating. Read at own risk (**But I'm sure most of you will enjoy it**).**

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Sixth Harvest (& the Seventeenth Wax)**

The next day Remus's head was somewhere else. Even ringing bells didn't bring him back to the present.

Luna was in love with him. He was sure of it.

After all, he got the meaning behind the Spectrespecs out of her finally. And what was the meaning? To find out the one who loved him, the one who couldn't think about anything but him! The one whose mind fuzzed around him. And all of that, straight from her.

What a year it had been.

Exams were two weeks away, and most classes were reviews or wrapping up some topics. The bell rang, and Remus's class of seventh years entered. They took out their texts, since he had written a book assignment down on the blackboard. He had to give them textwork. He couldn't think right now.

Luna was in love with him. He was sure of it.

He came back to reality for a moment to explain the pages they'd be reading, and then he passed out a worksheet. The seventh years weren't much trouble, but they did seem a little lack-luster. _Probably because Sirius had them dueling so often,_ he told himself. _They were used to the action of things._ He shook his head, though, because one topic came back to his mind.

Remus was pretty sure that if Luna had his Spectrespecs right now, his mind would be the fuzziest thing she had ever seen.

-----------------------------------------------------------^-^3

That Friday, the day before the last Hogmeade trip, Remus found a note on his desk. It was the morning, so he wondered ho it was from. When he read it, he recognized the flowing, slightly spidery script. It was from Luna:

_Remus-_

_Come enjoy a day free of students. I know tomorrow's the last Hogsmeade trip, so it's the perfect opportunity. I want to share something with you._

_-Lune_

Beside her name was a sketch of a tree, and he at least knew what that meant. She wanted to meet him in the Forbidden Forest. _Where_ in the Forbidden Forest, he had to wonder- _Of course. The kappa pond._ At least things were looking up now.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Saturday morning was bright and cheery. Remus awoke in a good mood. None of his recent anxiety touched him, and he quite literally hopped out of bed.

He took a quick shower and shaved –but then he ran into a problem. Remus's bliss had kinda clouded his mind, so while off in la-la land, he had accidentally gotten his razor too close to his mustache…and yeah. He accidentally shaved off half of his 'stache before he realized it.

"Oh, shit!" Remus dropped the razor in the sink and leaned in to the mirror to get a better look. _Yep, half gone…_ He stared at the bit of bare skin that he hadn't seen in a looong time. _However…_ The wizard picked up his razor, contemplating. _Well, if it looks horrible, I could always fix it with my wand._

So with that in mind, he shaved off the rest. And gawked. Despite still having the scars on his face, he looked decades younger.

_Why the hell didn't I do this sooner?!_

Remus was still amazed even after he finished up and dressed. Since he was feeling and looking younger, he chose to dress that way, too. Hidden under the endless number of khakis was a single pair of dark denim jeans. He grabbed them and an old T-shirt and changed, but he paused. Many scars still covered his arms… Even though it was quite warm outside, Remus grabbed a striped, long-sleeve button-up shirt and put it on over the tee. While he didn't button it up, it at least covered his arms up. That was most important.

On his way down, he passed Sirius, who gaped at him. "What happened to your mustache?!"

"Can't talk now, Padfoot!" Remus called behind him. And he really couldn't. He was speeding downstairs, almost taking two steps at a time.

Outside, it was the most perfect day of summer. There were some gray clouds in the vibrant blue sky and the air felt summerish-springy, but it was definitely beautiful. An absence of students added to that beauty, but so did Remus's excitement. He sped through the outdoor halls and slowed as he got to the green. The wizard knew he had to calm down, otherwise he risked scaring her off –or raising suspicion from the underclassmen who couldn't yet go on Hogsmeade trips.

But right on the edge of the forest, his anticipation grew. It puzzled him; the most he was expecting was spending some time alone with Luna. However, something inside him told him that everything would go right today. And when he saw Luna waiting by the kappa pond, everything was.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

"Lune."

At the sound of his voice, Luna nearly melted. She looked up into his warm brown eyes and her heart stopped. He was looking right at her, seeing only her. Her cheeks burned under his…_hungry_ gaze.

"I got your note," Remus said, and he smiled.

The witch tore her eyes away. _Now if only I can quell the fairies flitting about in my stomach…_ She stood –and noticed the rest of him. "You look comfy."

He laughed. "Well, I can't be shabby all the time. You, my dear, are something else."

Luna glanced down at her flats, shorts, and tank ensemble. She hadn't thought much of it, but she met his eyes again. His eyes had been roving over her figure, too, but they also revealed a thought he hadn't expressed:

He thought she looked ravishing.

"How have you been holding up?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.

"I'm okay today," he answered. "The paper's kept you again, hasn't it?"

Luna nodded. "I've been exhausted."

"Well, that won't do." Remus brushed some hair out of her face and rubbed one of her shoulders. "Loosen up, Lune."

She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're right." _Maybe I can do that now, with you here,_ she thought. The witch took her wizard's hand. "Walk with me?"

He nodded. They went deeper into the Forbidden Forest, listening to the twitters and muffled sounds of the place. Hooves beat the ground far, far off into the distance. Luna tensed a bit, her ears picking that noise up as if it was right beside her, but she breathed when Remus squeezed her hand.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I guess there are things that make me jumpy."

"I said it before, Luna: I will protect you, no matter what. I love you too much to let there be things that make you jumpy," Remus finished.

"I know," the blonde whispered, entangling her fingers in his shirt. "You…sometimes make me jumpy, actually."

She could sense his mood darken. "I see."

"Not like the other things!" Luna amended, stopping him and facing him with her worry in her eyes. He met her blue eyes, listening. She pursed her lips, wondering how best to take the conversation down this direction. It helped to gather her thoughts by closing her eyes. "Remus, what I meant was that… You- I-"

Remus smiled amusedly. "This is your first time being tongue-tied, isn't it?"

Seeing how his smile reached his eyes, how a gentle breeze tousled his bronzed brown hair, how he was amused by her –"Your mustache is gone," she blurted suddenly, distracted. Immediately, Luna regretted it. _I had been about to tell him, damn it!!_

He didn't seem fazed, though, and he brushed a finger above his upper lip. "The last time my face was this clean-shaven was around the founding of the Order of the Phoenix," he joked.

"You look cute."

"Why, thank you," Remus chuckled. He drew his breath in sharply when Luna traced a fingertip along the scar that ran across his chin.

And then she put her hands on the sides of his face and kissed him. She was happy that her boldness around him had returned. Luna knew she could say it now.

The werewolf, on the other hand, looked as though she had Stupified him. Remus blinked several times, clearly confused that she had caught him again. "I- Wha- Lune, you-"

This time she gripped his shirt and brought him roughly down so she could kiss him again. The difference this time was that the kiss was much more passionate, for she forced her tongue into his mouth, welcoming the taste she missed whenever she was away from him. He relaxed, though, and wrapped his arms around her, one hand on the small of her back, the other between her shoulder blades. She moved a hand to his jaw and gently pushed him away.

"Luna…," Remus began.

She shook her head. "Shh, Remus, just listen." Luna let her blue eyes lock with his brown ones. "I should've told you when it happened, but I don't know when it happened. I…" She sighed. "I don't mean to play with you, you should know. You _are_ fun to be around, fun to watch, but it was something else that drew you to me. I guess it was your inner strength that was there alongside your steady mind. You think things through, analyzing even the worst events, and somehow you come out on top. Though beaten down, you still manage to find one shred of hope, and I love that about you." She touched his cheek, her fingers grazing his skin. "I love _you_, Remus."

Again, he blinked. "But then –Why didn't you _say_ anything when I told you how I felt?"

"I couldn't. At the time, my world was very delicate, and I was unsure of many things. But when you told me you're in love with me and I saw the determination in your eyes to be with me, even if you could only protect me, it reassured me." Luna leaned her forehead on his chin. "I wanted to tell you sooner," she whined, "but the timing was off. I couldn't get away from the _Quibbler_ and you were suffering your own loses."

She felt his jaw move as his mouth opened and closed, and then he just held her tighter. "And this isn't a dream?" he asked after a silent minute had passed.

Luna pulled away, an impish grin gracing her features. "It isn't, though dreams do give nice suggestions." The witch took her hands from his and backed up, beckoning him with an upturned, hooked index finger. She turned around then, and ran into the forest. She knew exactly what she wanted.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3**xXxhot!xXx**

Remus loped after her. His first thought was of the time he had found her after she had barely made it past the centaurs without alerting them. Fear tightened his muscles; adrenaline urged him on. He could not let history repeat itself.

_I think Luna thinks she knows the forest too well,_ he noted, weaving in between the trees. _But it can turn on anyone at any time._ The usual ominous sounds surrounded him, but one resonance played with his ears.

Luna's mischievous laughter was ahead of him.

He sped along, wishing she would not toy with him so, just as she said she didn't mean to. But he thought of his personality and couldn't blame her. He was too easy to tease.

A flicker of wheat blonde hair caught his eye and he took a left to follow her. He had to be gaining on her by now. His legs were longer, he was used to Auror missions, and he was also a werewolf. But she was also a slip of a woman, light and in shorts and a tank top, and not weighed down by jeans or a second shirt.

Finally, he broke into a clearing. It wasn't a field but more of a large backyard with blue-green grass. Luna stood bent over near a felled tree, her hands on her knees. She straightened and deeply inhaled as she sat down on the log. Now she faced him.

"I win," she joked.

He walked over to her and remained standing, hands on hips. "Luna, remember what happened last time you went frolicking in here?" he reminded.

She touched three fingers to her lips. "Oops," she squeaked with a small smile.

"Yeah, 'oops,'" he echoed with a sigh. He sat beside her and closed his eyes. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you. It's tempting to lock you up in a cage, you know. But I know you; you'd find _some_ way out."

"Then you'll have to think of something else," Luna stated with raised eyebrows.

"I can at least calm you down," Remus remarked. He kissed her lips and rested his forehead against hers. "Did that work?"

"Not really," she murmured against his lips as she kissed him back. He accepted it, her fervent affection, and his mind was buzzing with desire. He fought down a question when her hands removed his striped shirt, baring his arms.

He stopped then, covering some scars with his hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't want you to see these, some of them are a little disturbing and they're all ugly-"

Luna poked his lips. "I'm not scared, Remus." She kissed him again, and he believed it. Barely two or three minutes later, her hands were on his bare stomach, and his T-shirt was beside his other shirt on the ground. She lifted her tank over her head in one swift motion and pushed him against the log. Her body was on top of his, her mouth was on his, and everything felt like fireworks, like…

_Magic._

In a few more actions, they were skin-to-skin, all the clothes on the grassy floor of the forest. She tugged her hair free of its braid and golden strands fluttered around her, covering her chest. Her cheeks pinked when he brushed that hair back and kissed her collar bone. She shivered at his touch and he at hers, his breath at her breasts so ticklish, her fingers on his back dizzying him with desire.

Now on the grass, he hovered over her. His lips crushed hers, her mouth welcoming his tongue again. His hands glided up and down her sides and she arched her back, like an invisible entity pulled her towards him. That was the right moment.

He entered her, Luna hugging him to her, and they were one body, one mind, one soul. Remus froze for a second when he realized she was still a virgin, but she dug her nails into his back, not wanting him to stop. He was gentle with her, and that was the right move, for he had never felt this way before.

She pushed on his chest then, and he thought she wanted to stop. However, this was not the case as she proceeded to push him down onto the ground. She kissed him hard and long, and then started up a wild rhythm. Yes, he was gentle with her, but she was rough with him.

He came right before her, but the climax was nothing like the world of passion had ever before seen. He sat up, her still on his lap, and kissed her neck, trailing kisses down her front. She moved her hand to his member when he backed up, keeping him inside her, keeping them joined. He suckled her breasts and she moaned with pleasure, clearly enjoying the moment. She again hugged her to him, and they came again until, finally they were spent.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3**xXxend!xXx**

Luna awoke later in the day, and found Remus was watching her. She gazed up at him. He was on his back, she on her side next to him, her arm slung across his chest. He was tracing circles on her shoulder with the hand of the arm under her.

"She wakes," he stated, chucking. "I didn't disturb you, did I?"

She shook her head. "How long have I been asleep?"

"A few hours. Don't worry, I fell asleep, too, for a bit," he added when her mouth popped open and formed a perfect 'O'. "It's still daytime, though just barely."

The witch snuggled his chest some more. "We don't have to move yet, do we?"

He laughed. "No, dear, we don't. But we will soon, lest the werewolves get you."

"'S okay. They're not that scary after all," she mumbled with a lazy, happy grin.

"We did find one thing out, though."

"What?"

"Which one of us is the real wolf."

She blushed, which only made him laugh more. "Remus-!"

"I- I'm sorry," he said, trying to contain his laughter. "It's just- You're so cute and innocent-looking, and then I find out that I've got myself an alpha. It's rather entertaining."

"Yes, well…" Luna poked him in the chest. "You are a good man, Remus. Sensitive both in and out of the bedroom."

He furrowed his brow. "I'm not sure if you were complimenting me or getting back at me."

"That depends: Which one means I win?"

"Oh, you little-!" Remus turned on his side and started tickling her. She laughed like he had never seen her laugh before, urging him to tickle her more. "I win, just this once, okay?"

"O-Okay!" she managed, but she still laughed even though he stopped tickling her stomach. He had his arms on either side of her, and he looked down on her perfect body, her perfect face. "Okay…," Luna agreed.

"You know, I was pretty sure I figured you out," he said quietly.

"That I love you?"

He nodded. "I _had_ tried out the Spectrespecs," the were admitted, rolling off her and lying by her side. "I saw you talking with Neville, but the glasses didn't show anything. Then you noticed me and finished up your conversation with him, and I saw it. Your mind was full of all these little things buzzing around in you head." He glanced in her direction. "All these little things fuzzing your mind.

Luna mock-sighed. "Well, you got me there. As it so happens, when I saw you, my mind _did_ get a little hazy. I'll have you know that it was hard wrapping up my talk with Neville when I was thinking about this."

"Confessing your undying love?" Remus teased.

"Well, that and maybe my mind drifted into this territory, too," she trailed off, the hand on his chest moving down his torso and…yeah. He reddened and she giggled. She replaced her hand on his heart and pecked his cheek. "By the way, Remus, I don't just love you. I'm _in_ love with you."

That feeling inside Remus was correct; everything had gone right today.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! YAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!! OOOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVED this chappie!!!!! Who DIDN'T?!!!! *ahem* Okay, with that out of my system as well as Lune's confession and Rena's little sexcapade, I think I can get back to some of the other things going on in the story's timeline. Whew! Was a big part of this chapter tastefully hot, or was it just me? *grins***

**Ok, well, lemme know how ya feel in a REVIEW, PLEASE!!! See you in 18, too!**

**-mew-tsubaki :))))))))**

**P.S. –Today's dedication: ashleyahh, for loving this story so much. Thank you!**


	18. 7th Harvest 18th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Seventh Harvest (& the Eighteenth Wax)**

Remus had a tune stuck in his head the following morning. Well, the wisps of one, at least, because when he tried focusing on the words, they always stayed out of his grasp.

Sirius joined him on the way down to breakfast, looking a little alarmed at such a happy Mooney. He even asked as much. "Why are you on Cloud Nine?"

He shook his head, smiling. "Sirius, Sirius, Sirius… This beats Cloud Nine. And winning the House Cup. Even winning the Triwizard Cup. Merlin, even defeating Voldemort."

Padfoot eyes widened. "You told Luna you love her," he guessed.

"I did that ages ago, back around the beginning of March."

"It's May now!!" Sirius gawked.

"Yeah, I know."

"But that's not it," Sirius concluded while they waited for the stairs to change. "What else happened?"

"Yesterday," Remus started, "she told me back. She loves me. She's _in love_ with me, Sirius."

Sirius smiled, raising an eyebrow. "As much as you're in love with her?"

Remus nodded. "She told me she loves me and I got to kiss her over and over and-" He pinked, realizing he was dangerously close to going into detail.

"Oh-Oh my god!" Sirius exclaimed, cringing and wincing at once. "You- You _did it_ and were about to _tell me_!! U-Ugh!!!!" he cried, mimicking sticking his finger down his throat.

Several students watched the spectacle curiously, and Remus's blush crimsoned. "P-Padfoot! Stop it! You're drawing attention to us!" he hissed.

Sirius shook his head –as if _that_ could get rid of the nasty pictures from his brain. "God, Mooney, don't ever tell me anything like that again!"

Remus glared at him. "Then the same goes for you, _Snuffles_!"

"But things went well, I presume?" Sirius asked politely as they entered the Great Hall.

"Yes," Remus whispered as he sat in Charlie's seat. He had switched with the eldest Weasley boy after Sirius and Ginny had been found out, mainly because Charlie was too tempted to Avada Kedavra Sirius's arse. However, with Neville still on the other side of the Animagus, the two Marauders had to keep conversations like this one quiet.

His best mate smiled at him and patted him on the back. "So that solves your problem, then!" he laughed.

Remus frowned at him. "Other than my little furry one, maybe."

"Oh, Remus, don't worry about that," Sirius chided as he faced his breakfast. He looked out into the sea of teenagers while chewing his toast, and his chewing slowed. His eyes were focused elsewhere.

The werewolf followed his gaze to the Gryffindor table. Ginny was there, all right, but she was kissing a someone. Someone who wasn't Sirius. Ignoring the catcalls and whistles from some of the other students, Remus watched as Ginny and her friends sat down. He recognized the boy with Ginny as Sturgis Reaves, a sixth year, and the other Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. They looked good together, but Remus thought Sirius and Ginny were perfect for each other, like he was with Luna. _And that's something you can't easily break up,_ Remus pondered, finding himself glaring at the site at his former house's table.

Owls flew in then with the morning mail, and some of Ginny's friends got some packages. Remus turned back to Sirius, who was staring at his plate.

"Lost your appetite again, mate?" Remus asked quietly.

Sirius gave a tiny nod.

"You're going to be skin-and-bones soon, Sirius," he told his friend.

But Sirius shrugged and leaned his cheek in his hand, swishing his goblet of water around and around. Sirius had never looked so hurt, so broken over a woman before, and because Remus knew Sirius like a brother, he also knew that Ginny really _was_ the one for Sirius. Padfoot was the typical womanizer, but Ginny had reined him in; she had a pull on him that all other women would go green with envy for, but she wasn't using it. She wasn't even with him, and now he was crushed.

"Sirius, at least finish your br-"

With something much more horrific than a great _**BOOM!**_, an explosion went off in the Great Hall. There were screams echoing throughout the place, and the sounds of chairs scraping the floor resounded at the staff table. Sirius was the first up, knocking his chair back on the floor, and Remus was up with Dumbledore and McGonagall and the others. Some dust cleared as the faculty rushed to the Gryffindor table, and Remus saw Ginny. Another student –Ginny's friend, Miraphina Atherton, a seventh year and one of Remus's D.A.D.A. students –fell to the ground.

Ginny screamed. "_**MIRA**__**!!!!!**_"

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

"How the _hell_ could this have happened?" Sirius roared once the Great Hall had been evacuated.

Remus kicked a distorted tray amidst the debris. "I dunno, mate."

"Ginny and her friends were the only ones hurt," Neville stated, picking up a partially-blasted piece of fruit and tossing it.

"How did something get into the school, though?" Charlie thought aloud.

Flitwick sat down at the Ravenclaw table. "The owls are all supposed to be checked!" he squeaked. "Checked! Does this look like anyone checked the mail?!"

"Owls are a ruddy way of gittin' the mails thru," Filch groused, standing guard at the Great Hall's entrance.

"The method of communication does not matter right now," Snape stated. "What matters is that we find what exploded." His eyed scanned the floor up and down, looking for whatever he had missed.

"I think this is it!" Sirius called to the others. The other teachers and Filch approached the item in question: the remnants of a pale green box on top of a tattered chocolate brown ribbon. "This was the package Atherton got from the owl this morning. She had just opened the flaps when it went off, sending dirt, dust, and debris everywhere."

"We've got to get it out of here," Remus said, and he, Sirius, and Snape worked a few containment spells to lift the present up and had Filch carry it away. Flitwick stayed behind with the others to magically trace any leftover bits of spells, but they came up clean. The attack had been restrained to that one box.

Dumbledore and McGonagall returned as the rest were fixing the Great Hall. The headmaster's grave look stopped all of them where they were. "Miss Crowley and Miss Atherton are in an unstable condition, too critical to move them right now. Madam Pomfrey is attending to them, but she does not know the source of the ailment. Can anyone provide some insight?"

"We only just found the box, Albus," Flitwick piped up. "Remus, Sirius, and Severus have made it somewhat safe and Argus moved it, but we don't know what _it_ is yet."

"Are the others all right?" Remus asked, knowing that the question was lodged in a nervous Sirius's throat.

"They've only suffered minor injuries," McGonagall answered. "I say we interview them to find out what happened firsthand."

"An excellent point, headmaster," Snape commented, nodding to Dumbledore.

"Very well," Dumbledore said. "Leave the hall as is. We shall see Miss Weasley and her friends in the Hospital Wing."

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Along the way, one of the paintings told Dumbledore that Raven Crowley and Miraphina Atherton were stable enough that Madam Pomfrey was with the other kids. Dumbledore gave his thanks and marched on, McGonagall whispering to him urgently on one side and Snape angrily lost in his own world on the other. Neville, Charlie and Flitwick conversed ahead of Remus and Sirius, and Filch followed behind them.

They entered the Hospital Wing and Dumbledore went straight to Ginny. He gave her a worried smile after glancing at all of them. "I am glad to see all of you are well."

_Not really, they aren't,_ Remus observed. The black boy, Mavrick Morris, one of the team's Beaters, winced as he leaned forward; it looked like he had a broken wrist, and the rest looked rather beaten. "What about Raven?" he asked in a rushed tone.

"And Miraphina, too," Sturgis added.

Remus and Sirius and the rest watched Dumbledore purse his lips. "I'm afraid Miss Crowley and Miss Atherton have suffered terribly, but they are alive. We were hoping that the five of you could help us piece the events together."

"Do you have any idea who sent a package to Miss Atherton?" McGonagall inquired.

Ginny shook her head. "It was unmarked. Sturgis suggested it might be foolish to open it, but Mira stated that it wouldn't have reached her if it contained Dark Magic. She undid the bow and nothing happened. It exploded when she actually opened the box." Her eyes were wet, but she didn't cry. "What was in the box?"

Dumbledore worded his response carefully. "We are not sure yet, but Mr. Filch has secured the item and the professors Snape, Lupin, Black, Weasley, and Longbottom are going to dissect its remains." At that, he motioned to those five and they shuffled out of the Hospital Wing. Ginny averted her eyes when both Charlie and Sirius tried making eye contact, and Remus felt bad for both men.

Back on the restricted third floor corridor, a magical cage stood, and Neville, Charlie, Sirius, Remus, and Snape stared at it. The shoddy box lay in wait inside.

"I guess we should test it first," Sirius said to Remus. He drew his wand. "Ready?"

Remus produced his own wand. "After you."

The two of them tried nearly every offensive and defensive spell they could think of. They even tried a few suggestions from the other three. However, it was not responding to incantations.

"I don't know about touching it," the werewolf stated, "but it seems pretty harmless right now."

"Fool, of course it _seems_ harmless," Snape retorted. "But that doesn't mean anything."

"Hold on, there's something inside it," Sirius interrupted. He knelt down and turned off the cage. "It's a powder." The Animagus reached out.

"Don't touch it!!" the other four professors bellowed.

Sirius winced. "It's a dry potion, I think."

"Oh, joy," Snape remarked, rolling his eyes.

"We should help you determine the ingredients," Charlie said, gesturing to him and Neville. "I don't think I've ever heard of a potion with simple enough ingredients to do what it did to Raven and Mira."

Remus put the barrier back up. "We should see Dumbledore first," he suggested. "Catch him up on things."

The others mumbled in agreement and left the corridor. Sirius hung back a smidgeon to speak with his best mate. "I think I would've preferred the Dark Arts. At least then I could do something," he wisped.

The brunette wizard nodded. "I know, Sirius." He gripped the Animagus's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, but it did little to comfort him. Sirius was comforted by one fact: Ginny hadn't been hurt worse.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**Okay, nice and exploding-y. YAY! The plot thickens…! Dun, dun, dun!!! But you love it, right? Man, I can't wait to write some more of this stuff! Keep REVIEWING, PEOPLES!!!!!**

**See you in 19 (I'm already THIS FAR?!!!)!**

**-mew-tsubaki**


	19. 8th Harvest 19th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Eighth Harvest (& the Nineteenth Wax)**

It was amazing what magic could do, really. Not only in putting things together, but also taking them apart, in order to analyze them. As it turned out, the powder had required Neville, Charlie, _and_ Snape's areas of expertise. They had spent the night dissecting the tiny particles only to come up with an outrageous discovery:

It was a deadly mix meant to harm only Muggle-borns.

There were about one part kelpie's mane to four parts ground nixie scales in the dry potion. It had been simmered in Felix Felicis, which turned the good luck potion into a Muggle-born poison. Miraphina and Raven had breathed it in and, as they were both Muggle-borns, they potion had attacked them immediately and severely. Madam Pomfrey had expressed amazement that they were still alive.

Remus was bothered by the fact that something had actually gotten into the school, though, just like the others had concern for the same reason. Voldemort was gone; did they really have to put up with the Dark Wizard's remaining followers? Remus vaguely recalled Harry's section in the Auror Department as being the section that hunted down and captured those remaining followers or the ones who thought they could _be_ the next Lord Voldemort. How could they have missed this?!

In Defense Against the Dark Arts that Monday evening, Remus saw Ginny joined by her friend Raven. Raven had been released, because she had only breathed in a small dose of the poison. The werewolf thought back on the other girl, though; Miraphina was still in the Hospital Wing, still very sick, but she was doing better with Madam Pomfrey's constant care. Dumbledore had gotten her parents to Hogwarts without delay.

Remus started class, reminding the seventh years that dueling would still be a part of the N.E.W.T. Most were listening, but a ruckus was growing in the back. He stopped and squinted to see Ginny arguing with her now-healthy friend Raven.

"Then prove it!" Raven hissed.

"I will!" Ginny yelled back.

"Miss Crowley, Miss Weasley –keep it down," he called to them. A few snickers escaped their classmates, but the two Gryffindor girls humbly quieted.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

At supper, Remus breathed deeply. "I'm exhausted."

"What do you mean, _you're_ exhausted?" Neville complained. "_I_ was one of the three who didn't sleep last night!"

"It was still emotionally exhausting yesterday, Neville," Sirius replied. "It was scary."

Remus nodded and bit into a warm biscuit. He rubbed his eyes, wishing Luna was there just to hold him. With a lifetime full of scary things, it would be nice to just settle down and have some peace for once, even if in only one sitting.

"You haven't had the chance to speak to her, have you?" Remus asked Sirius in undertones.

"No," Sirius supplied, finishing a chicken leg. "She hasn't even spoken to Charlie. What makes you think she'll speak to me if she won't speak to her brother?"

"You're her love."

"Not at the moment." He raised his eyebrows and jerked his head towards the Gryffindor table.

Remus looked and saw Ginny and her friends speaking closely together. "Maybe you just need the right chance. You know, the right timing."

Sirius grunted in response.

The werewolf rolled his eyes. _Do I really always have to be the sensitive, insightful, _optimistic_ one?_ he groused to himself. "Whatever, Sirius; moan and groan for all I care."

Again, Padfoot grunted in response and finished his meal. "I think I'll go for a walk," he stated, and he left the Great Hall.

_So suddenly?_ Remus looked back at the Gryffindor table and saw that Ginny and her friends had left. He smiled. _So he's listening. If he can't have the right time, then he'll make it the right time. Good for you, Sirius._

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

By second period, Remus knew something was wrong.

Tuesday was awfully quiet, considering what happened over the weekend. Breakfast wasn't much, since Sirius was absent. Remus had supposed his best mate was simply still asleep. After all, Sirius almost always overslept when they had been Hogwarts students.

But second period had come and gone, and Remus also realized that some students were missing. First period, he'd had the seventh years, and _three_ students were missing: Ginny, Raven, and Mavrick Morris, that Gryffindor Beater who had broken his wrist in Sunday's explosion. He dismissed the nagging feeling he got and taught the third years with a calm mind during the second period.

When his third-period break came, though, his suspicions were confirmed in a round-about way. A note flew into his classroom, zipping up right into his face. It opened without his help, and he scanned the familiar, spidery script.

_Remus, you must report to Sirius's classroom and cover his classes today. All will –hopefully –be explained later._

_-Albus_

Any idea Remus had had of relaxing flew out the door when that note popped in. The wizard had to run to his friend's class to make it in time, and Remus had the fourth years right before the fifth years, and the last three groups of students.

Of the fourth years, Derrov Benton, the other Gryffindor Beater, wasn't in class. Of the fifth years, the Gryffindor Seeker, Nigel Creevey, was absent.

Ginny and her friends were missing, along with Sirius.

That night, Remus skipped supper and went straight to Dumbledore's office. McGonagall was already there, and both were standing in the room. Their eyes flicked to Remus as he entered.

"Where's Sirius?" he blurted before they said anything.

"He didn't say anything to you?" Minerva asked.

Remus furrowed his brow. "No. The last I saw him was last night. He stood up after supper and left, saying he was going to take a walk."

"I find it rather peculiar that right after Sunday's incident, the victims' friends disappear. And the better half of one of the students also disappears," Dumbledore commented with raised eyebrows.

"You think Sirius went with them wherever they are?" the werewolf asked incredulously.

"Several months back, one of our seventh year students received a missive from his parents, beckoning him back home. Grant Selwyn, in Slytherin house, first went to Professor Snape, who brought him to me. I permitted him to leave, for Mr. Selwyn was insistent that he would be gone for only a short amount of time. He has been absent since then."

"He's still not back?" Remus paused. "Wait –what does that have to do with Ginny and her friends?"

"Grant Selwyn was –is one of Ginny's friends," Minerva answered. "She has known him the longest of her friends. I think it's safe to say he is her best friend."

"And?"

"He was also dating Miss Atherton," the witch grimly stated.

Remus could follow the logic now. The Selwyns were a pureblood family, old magic… He befriended another pureblood (despite most other purebloods calling the Weasleys blood-traitors)… He had been dating a Muggle-born… He disappears, no return in sight, and his friends are caught in a mysterious explosion, his _Muggle-born_ girlfriend suffering the most. Though Albus and Minerva tried to be neutral, the history of pureblood families tended towards Dark Magic, so it was only reasonable that they were worried. It made sense, however, because the Selwyns would've been disgraced by their extended family when the Second Great War was won and most Death Eaters were either killed, caught, or given up.

"What do we do, Albus?" Minerva entreated her love.

The headmaster shook his head. "This is a very fragile situation, I'm afraid. They…used the Floo network to leave the grounds."

"How?" she asked.

It dawned on Remus when Dumbledore crinkled his eyes. "In _here_?!" he spat.

Albus shook his head. "I don't know how, but they came into my office while I was upstairs cataloguing some personal effects. I'm sure it was Sirius, along with Mr. Reaves's help," he added with a quirked eyebrow, "who broke in."

Remus knew what Dumbledore was implying. Marauders pranks had extended to every part of the castle; back then, no teacher was safe, though Remus himself had never pranked the headmaster with the others. "You think they went to the Selwyn home?"

"Without a doubt," the elderly wizard replied. "Yet as we don't know the case, we are left with our hands and wands tied."

"So there's nothing we can do?" Mooney managed, though he could feel his anxiety flood him. They were sitting ducks.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Luna had fallen asleep at her desk when a paper bird fluttered in through her open window. Her articles were spread all over her room. She was preparing to meet numerous deadlines, but had decided that she needed a little catnap.

The paper avian nudged her cheek and she awoke. She blinked sleepily at the bird, and it folded into a note in her hands. She opened it, reading Remus's message expressing his wish for her to see him. That night.

The witch didn't question anything as she grabbed her sweater and pounded downstairs. Her father peeked around a book stack as she reached the front door.

"Luna, where are you going?" Xenophilius hollered.

"I've got to go!" was all she answered. As soon as she could, she turned on the spot and Apparated. Gasping air in her lungs, she ran up to the castle, heading straight for Remus's office.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

The werewolf looked up when he heard the knock at his door. The door handle turned and she stuck her head in. Luna's blue eyes fell on him, her lips not really forming a frown, but not staying quite straight.

His anxiety waned only a bit.

"You called?" she prodded, coming right up to his desk.

Remus shook his head. "I did, but… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have worried you." He flicked his eyes to hers. "Sirius is missing."

Luna blinked. "Just gone?"

"With Ginny."

Now she looked surprised. "When did that happen?"

The D.A.D.A. professor stood and walked around to the front of his desk. He drew the reporter to him and rested his head on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him gentle, as if he were fragile and about to break. "Apparently it happened back in December. But that's not the point. The two of them and her friends seem to have left on a rescue-or-destroy mission."

"What for?"

Remus launched into the story of the weekend, and he also included Dumbledore's theories. He spoke of the explosion itself, the Hospital Wing, the item… He didn't leave out any details.

Luna shook her head. "Sometimes we have to just let things happen," she said in a quiet voice, in that mysterious tone of hers. "Sometimes things just work themselves out, without our intervention. But," she continued, lifting his chin and resting her palm on his cheek, "we have to recognize the times when we must wait."

"But I want to do something!"

She kissed him softly. "I know, Rem, but the waiting is harder. Believe me, it is."

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**And on to 20 we go!! I can't believe the story has come this far, but I actually still have a lot of ideas in mind. I don't intend to end our Rena love story any time soon, folks, so keep on reading.**

**AND REVIEWING!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!**

**-mew-tsubaki**


	20. 9th Harvest 20th Wax

**In the Present**

A HariPo fanfic

by mew-tsubaki

Note: I haven't finished **To the Future** and already I'm starting its _second_ companion story. AGH! However, J.K. Rowling's characters are in good hands by now, so I hope everyone enjoys this Rena story. But to reach the present, one must glance at the past, where our story begins… READ & REVIEW!!!

-------------------------------- ^-^3

**The Ninth Harvest (& the Twentieth Wax)**

Remus awoke Wednesday morning, warm, comfortable, relaxed-

-and with his head on Luna's lap.

He sat up, waking her, but he let her rest her blonde head on his chest as he stretched his arms. They had fallen asleep behind his desk. He remembered that she had pulled a chair behind the desk and sat beside him, but his upholstered seat wasn't nearly as comfortable for him as her lap was.

"Remus…?" she asked groggily.

"Shh," he cooed. "Go back to sleep. I'll be right back."

The wizard popped into his classroom to check on his students. The first years were chatting animatedly about young, pre-teen things, oblivious to the absence of their teacher. Remus didn't bother quieting them down. _It'd be best if they're left in the dark a little longer,_ he told himself.

He went to Dumbledore's office next. Surprisingly, the headmaster was not there. The werewolf was pondering where to go next when Dumbledore walked up, Harry at his side. They had been talking.

"Remus, how is your class?" Albus asked.

The brunette wizard almost smiled. Of course Dumbledore would know where Remus had first gone. Albus typically knew everything. Instead, Remus got straight to the point: "What's going on?"

Dumbledore's blue eyes crinkled as he smiled. "They have returned."

News never affected Remus much. Certain messages and scenes _had_ deeply hit him –James and Lily gone, Pettigrew the traitor, years later Sirius fell through the veil. The fact that history had not repeated itself hummed through Remus's bones. He had not lost his last best friend.

Harry nodded to Remus. "Good to see you, Remus," the nineteen-year-old stated. He jerked his head to the side. "I think he went straight to his office."

Remus thanked Harry and bid the two a 'good morning' before continuing on. Yes, he hadn't seen Harry since Christmas, but that was of little importance at the moment. When he saw the door open, he stepped inside, closed it, and looked for Sirius in his room.

Sirius had just reached his bedroom when Mooney caught up with him. He was a sight to be seen: clothes and hair a mess, covered in dirt, dried blood on his hands and cheeks, though he didn't appear to have any cuts, scrapes, or injuries. Bags hung under his gray eyes; he had not slept at all for more than twenty-four hours.

They locked eyes for a moment. In the next, Remus hugged Sirius tightly, as if once he let go Sirius would be gone forever, like James and Lily were. When they pulled apart, Remus saw Sirius's eyes were glassy with tears, too. It made Remus laugh.

"Shut up, git," Sirius spat, but he was smiling. He shook his head. "I dunno, Mooney. Somehow, I managed to slip death again. With Ginny, no less."

The other D.A.D.A. teacher's face fell. "Death? What the hell happened?"

Sirius's mood darkened as he thought back on the past two nights. "It was hell all over again, Remus."

"Continue. My class can wait."

Padfoot raised his eyebrows at Remus's small show of rebellion. He shrugged out of his over-robe; it had been torn in several places and there were holes in the cuffs. "I left the castle Monday night," he admitted.

Remus rolled his eyes. "I figured out that much, funny enough. So did everyone else in the school."

"As usual," his friend chuckled. He draped the ragged cloak on the end of his bed. "Ginny and her friends were planning on going to the Selwyn estate with or without me, so I figured I might as well go with them. Good thing I did, too," he added, sitting on his bed. Sirius cracked his neck, gaining some bit of comfort at last. "We fought a wyvern, Ginny was kidnapped and almost used as a sacrifice-"

"_What_?!"

Sirius nodded. "Grant, Ginny's best mate, was taken hostage by his own parents a while ago. His parents had their own sect of Death Eaters, and they had come together for Grant's initiation. Each initiation was marked by the willing murder of a close, non-related loved one. Originally, they had planned on Grant's girlfriend, Miraphina, but Ginny had just walked right in." He stretched his legs and removed his jacket.

"But…?" Remus encouraged. _So we _had_ been right –somewhat –about Grant Selwyn…_

The Animagus unbuttoned his shirt and poked some bruises on his chest. He winced a little at one on his collarbone, but Sirius seemed fine otherwise.

"Ginny's friends and I burst in after it happened. Grant turned his Killing Curse on himself at the last second, aiming for his father. The Death Eaters fell apart at that, but only for a bit. A few more attacks and retaliations, and we gained the upper hand. Ginny called her father and Harry, and they came with Harry's department." Sirius hung his head, shaking it. "Ginny and I made up, but her father tore into me. She told him off, though, and Arthur didn't really like that. I got the chance to speak a bit with Harry…" His lips formed a straight line. "The night Dumbledore caught Ginny and me? And he sent an owl to Arthur and Molly? Harry had been leaving work with Arthur, so Harry and Hermione know, too."

The werewolf cringed. "But you made it through, Sirius. _And_ you got Ginny back."

"And now I just have to stick out the rest of the year until the Charm wears off. Did you know that the Charm doesn't work when not at Hogwarts? I got to snog her again…," Sirius stated with a content sigh and his trademark wolfish grin.

"Yes, yes, snogging's _so_ wonderful," Remus sarcastically muttered.

Padfoot poofed up a damp cloth and wiped down his arms and chest. "You don't mind. I s'pose little Luna slept over, am I right?"

Remus blushed. "Uh! She didn't –Okay, she slept over, but she didn't _sleep_ over, Sirius. While I was busy fretting over the whereabouts of my best friend, she comforted me. I wanted to do something to help, but she calmed me down and told me to wait for you. Besides, Dumbledore thought the same thing, that we couldn't do anything because we didn't know what the situation was." He paused as Sirius put on a fresh shirt. "How did you guess?"

"You smell of the outdoors and fresh soap. Usually, Rem, you smell like mothballs and musty books."

"You're such an arse."

Sirius shrugged, but his expression turned grim. "I almost lost her, Remus. I even cried." He met his friend's tawny eyes. "I couldn't think of being without her. All I could think was that there _was_ no world without her."

Remus's heart tightened in his chest. He felt the same way about Luna, but now he was thinking of the future… Would it be a repeat of Tonks? Would Luna suffer as she had? Would Remus lose her, too?

He looked back to Sirius. The Animagus was waiting for him to say something. What was there to say? Sure, he agreed with him, but…

Remus scolded himself. He had to be strong like Sirius. He wasn't going to lose Luna; he wouldn't let that happen. So he said, "You didn't lose her, though. You have a world with her now."

Those must've been the right words. Sirius brightened at the were's statement, and he even regained his smile. "Thanks, mate."

The brunette wizard stood. "You should get some sleep now. Just promise me you'll pig out at dinner. You need your strength, Padfoot."

"Don't _I_ know it," Sirius spoke into his pillow, his voice muffled and groggy. The next second, he was snoring.

_I hope you _also_ know you still snore something awful,_ Remus thought while he closed the bedroom door. He left the office and went back through the corridors, retracing his steps.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

Her hair was brushed back carefully from her eyes. However, she didn't open them.

"Lune… Lune, wake up… Luna."

She 'mmm'ed annoyedly at his voice. She didn't want to get up right now. She was comfy-warm where she was, and everything smelled like wand wood and coarse, tweed sweaters.

He tried nudging her shoulder. "Lune…"

The witch snuggled into her nap spot. It just felt so nice there…

She heard a half-exasperated sigh. "…Fine. …don't want to get up… …stay then."

The next thing she knew, two strong arms were picking her up off the two chairs she had arranged end-to-end. Her skin rippled with goose bumps, but the arms carrying her were warm, and the wand wood and tweed was most distinctive on his chest. She snuggled into him closer, listening to his heart speed up a little and then resume its calm, steady beat.

He… He felt right. …He felt like home.

She heard a door open and he took a few more steps. Then she was getting away from his chest. Cushions contoured to fit her body, and her head rested on a pillow. Again, his scent flooded her senses, and she gripped the thin blanket he tossed over her.

His voice was gruff from the early morning, and he gave a throaty chuckle. "I love you, Lune."

A kiss was pressed to her temple. His hand covered hers, but she gripped it, too. She didn't want to let go.

"I'll be back."

She squeezed his fingers that interlaced with hers.

"Lune…," he breathed. His damp, hot breath grazed her ear, tormenting her. "Lune," he repeated, "as long as I have _you_ to come back to, I won't go anywhere else."

He squeezed her fingers back and, in her sleeping state, her lips curved up. He left her then, but his warmth wrapped around her, the best blanket he could ever offer.

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

The rest of the day played out okay. Remus taught both his and Sirius's classes again, but it wasn't too much trouble. By the time supper came around, Sirius was up and pigging out as Remus had requested, getting his strength back up.

If ever there was a time Remus was glad he had switched seats with Charlie, it was now. Sure, Charlie had been pissed to find Sirius snogging his baby sister, but putting her in danger had definitely signed Padfoot's death warrant.

"I'm more worried," Sirius said in between mouthfuls of mashers, "about what Charlie will do to me than Dumbledore's punishment." _**Chomp, chomp.**_ "I mean." _**Munch, munch.**_ "The Weasleys pretty much want to kill me anyway." _**Glug, glug, glug.**_ "And all because I'm with Ginny."

Neville's eyes bugged out of his head, catching the last of Sirius's words. "Oh my-! _You're_ with _Ginny_?!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yes, Neville," he answered after swallowing a pasty. "I'm in love with her, she's in love with me, the whole world's against it. Whatever. Those who need to know, know, so you can scream it at the top of your lungs if you wish."

"Well- It's- I- Wow," the Herbology teacher finished. "I never expected it to happen, truthfully."

"Yes," Remus cut in. "Who'd ever expected Sirius to take on a serious girlfriend?" he joked.

Padfoot glared at Mooney. "She's not just a girlfriend. I'm not letting her get away; she's the love of my life."

The werewolf smiled. "How far you've come, Mr. Black."

"Then shut it, Mr. Lupin." Sirius gulped down another gillywater. "'Sides," he said in a low voice so only Remus heard, "isn't that what Lu-Lu is to you?"

Remus frowned at Sirius's codename/nickname for Luna, but the question _did_ make him think. Months ago, he'd told Luna that she was the top priority in his life. He'd do anything for her, even at the cost of his own life. So wasn't that the definition of it?

Wasn't she the love of his life, as Sirius had said?

----------------------------------------------------------- ^-^3

**New excitement in the next couple of chapters as things take a sharp, downward turn. We still have classes (just a few), exams, & weddings to get through, so Rena still needs a lot of cheering on! Keep on reviewing and reading and vice versa! I love all of the fans that have kept with the story –you know who you are!!! *squeee!!!!***

**See you in 21!**

**-mew-tsubaki**


End file.
